Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Late Summer Weight

Terrance has been pretty easy to track this summer.  He most commonly spends each night in one of his favorite burrows:  at the west end of the Vinca, under the Fescue in the Hidden Garden, or behind the rosemary in the Bodhisattva Garden. 

Because of that, I've gotten another good series of data on his weight.  Most recently he clocked in at 384 g (13.48 oz), just a gram short of his all-time heaviest. 

Sometime within the next month, as Terrance prepares for hibernation, he'll stop eating and clean out his alimentary canal.  There's always a weight drop associated with that, but it's necessary if he's to avoid fermenting all winter long. 

Although the above graph shows fairly little variation in weight due to the y-axis scale, the version below amplifies the week-by-week fluctuations. By scaling the axis to the interval 345-390 g, we magnify the 11 g annual difference this summer.  Also apparent is the weight loss with last year's hibernation. 

Meanwhile, he continues to get frequent snacks from me, usually strawberries.  His discriminating palate continues to amuse me.