A radio-telemetric study of the thermoregulation of free living water monitor lizards,Varanus S. salvator |
| |
Authors: | C Traeholt |
| |
Institution: | (1) Zoological Institute, Department of Population Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| |
Abstract: | Eight water monitor lizards, Varanus s. salvator, were captured; four individuals from an oil palm estate on the Malayan peninsula, and four from fresh water-deficient Tulai island 65 km off-shore in the South China Sea. They were fitted with a radio transmitter attached to a thermistor which was inserted into the cloaca of the animals and released. The heating rate during basking was measured as 0.117 and 0.118 °C·min-1 while the daily cloacal temperature fluctuated between 29.5–37.3 °C. Cloacal temperature was measured on other individuals caught at random times during the day, which revealed a considerable daily and individual variation. The average cloacal temperature during activity was 30.4 °C. The peak activity appeared when body temperature was 31 °C. Thermoregulation by behavioural means included cooling in water and reducing heat loss at night by sleeping in burrows. The cooling rate for two individuals when submerged in 29 °C water was 0.308 and 0.340 °C·min-1. There appeared to be a strong correlation between ambient temperature and cloacal temperature.Abbreviations bw
body weight
-
T
a
ambient temperature
-
T
a
body temperature
-
T
c
cloacal temperature
- TOP
Timor Oil Palm Estate
- TUL
Tulai Island |
| |
Keywords: | Thermoregulation Radiotelemetry Cooling/heating rate Behaviour Lizard Varanus s salvator |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|