SEASONAL DYNAMICS OF PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS IN AFRICAN OSTRICHES OF VARIOUS AGE GROUPS ACCLIMATIZED TO THE CLIMATE OF UZBEKISTAN

This paper evaluates the seasonal fluctuations of baseline physiological markers-namely core body temperature, heart rate (HR), and respiratory rate (RR)-in African ostriches (Struthio camelus) as a function of age, sex, and lineage under the conditions of a sharply continental arid climate in Uzbekistan. The experimental cohorts comprised juvenile birds (aged 3–6 months), as well as mature 5-6-year-old males and breeding females (parent stock) representing both Iranian and Russian selection lineages. The findings indicate that the extreme heat of the summer season (“chillya”, ambient temperature exceeding +40 0C) triggers a significant compensatory response in the thermoregulatory systems of all evaluated cohorts, characterized by an elevation in body temperature and the onset of hyperventilation (polypnea). While the young stock exhibits a high metabolic rate and vegetative tone, adult birds of Iranian selection demonstrate superior evolutionary thermotolerance compared to their Russian counterparts under extreme heat loads.