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- Title
Staying warm is not always the norm: behavioural differences in thermoregulation of two snake species.
- Authors
Giacometti, Danilo; Yagi, Katharine T.; Abney, Curtis R.; Jung, Matthew P.; Tattersall, Glenn J.
- Abstract
Thermal biology research compares field with laboratory data to elucidate the evolution of temperature-sensitive traits in ectotherms. The hidden challenge of many of these studies is discerning whether animals actively thermoregulate, since motivation is not typically assessed. By studying the behaviours involved in thermoregulation, we can better understand the mechanisms underlying body temperature control. Using an integrative approach, we assessed the thermoregulatory and thermotactic behaviours of two sympatric snake species with contrasting life histories: the generalist Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758)) and the semi-fossorial Northern Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata (Storer, 1839)). We expected that thermoregulatory behaviours would be optimized based on life history, in that T. s. sirtalis would show higher evidence for thermally oriented behaviours than S. o. occipitomaculata due to its active nature. Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis actively thermoregulated, had higher thermal preferences (29.4 ± 2.5 vs. 25.3 ± 3.6 °C), and was more active than S. o. occipitomaculata, which showed relatively low evidence for thermotaxis. Our results build on the notion that evaluating movement patterns and rostral orientation towards a heat source can help ascertain whether animals make thermally motivated choices. Our data provide insight into the thermoregulatory strategies used by snakes with different life histories and maximize the information provided by behavioural thermoregulation experiments.
- Subjects
BODY temperature regulation; COLD-blooded animals; SNAKES; LIFE history theory; GARTER snakes; TEMPERATURE control; SPECIES
- Publication
Canadian Journal of Zoology, 2021, Vol 99, Issue 11, p974
- ISSN
0008-4301
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1139/cjz-2021-0135