TLDR Melatonin causes weasels to grow white fur and become reproductively inactive.
The study investigated the effects of melatonin on hair color, molting, and testis size in male short-tailed weasels. The research aimed to understand how melatonin treatment influenced these physiological traits, which are typically affected by seasonal changes. The findings suggested that melatonin played a role in altering hair color and molting patterns, as well as affecting testis size, indicating its potential impact on reproductive and seasonal adaptations in these animals. However, the document did not specify the number of weasels involved in the study, which is important for assessing the strength of the findings.
68 citations
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April 1965 in “General and Comparative Endocrinology”
16 citations
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July 1992 in “The journal of experimental zoology/Journal of experimental zoology” Adrenal glands delay the start of winter fur growth in mink.
12 citations
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January 1981 in “Springer eBooks” Environmental factors like temperature and nutrition affect hair growth, with humans showing seasonal hair growth differences.
66 citations
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July 2015 in “Journal of Molecular Biology” The document concludes that for hair and feather growth, it's better to target the environment around stem cells than the cells themselves.
113 citations
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March 2018 in “Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society” Animals that change color with the seasons mainly do so in response to daylight changes, but climate change is causing camouflage problems that may require evolutionary changes.
109 citations
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October 2007 in “Journal of pineal research” Melatonin helps regulate hair growth and protects the hair follicle from stress.
