Body temperature of the lizard (Anolis carolinensis): Effect of parietalectomy

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Thermal behavior of parietalectomized, sham‐parietalectomized or intact lizards (Anolis carolinensis) was recorded in a test chamber containing moving photothermal gradients. Following parietalectomy, animals chose significantly higher temperatures than sham‐parietalectomized or intact control animals, which chose lower and statistically identical temperatures. When pre‐surgical and post‐surgical means are compared within groups, the eccritic temperature was 2.10°C higher following parietalectomy, 0.72°C higher following sham‐parietalectomy, and 0.31°C higher in intact controls during the postoperative measurements. The effects of parietalectomy indicate that the parietalpineal complex may be involved in behavioral thermoregulation by precisely regulating exposure to heat sources (e.g., sunlight).

This publication has 14 references indexed in Scilit: