Potassium Deficiency in Marmots during Hibernation

Abstract

Semiquantitation of potassium deficiency in the renal papillae indicates that woodchucks (Marmota monax) are deficient in potassium annually during the time they subsist on stored fats. The deficiency begins prior to hibernation, progresses during hibernation, and, in males, continues during the immediate postemergence period.