The Influence of Light and Temperature on Diel Activity Rhythms in the Sand Boa, Eryx conicus

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
In the nocturnal snake E. conicus the light-dark cycle was a more effective synchronizer of diel activity than were fluctuations in temperature. Under a light-dark cycle and constant temperature, the temperature level influenced the amplitude of the rhythm but did not affect the phasing of activity. Consequently, under low constant temperature the rhythm became damped but a mainly nocturnal pattern was retained. There was little evidence that the activity rhythms synchronized by light-dark or temperature cycles persisted under constant conditions.