by Helen Thompspn,
1/22/16, Science News
Despite their
cold-blooded reputation, tegu
lizards boost their body heat while on the prowl for a
mate, biologists report January 22 in Science Advances.
Like other ectotherms,
South American tegu lizards (Tupinambis
merianae) draw heat from their environment, sunning themselves in spring
and summer and hibernating in autumn and winter. Upon waking from their
seasonal slumber, the reptiles search for a mate.
Researchers from Canada
and Brazil monitored body temperature in a group of captive lizards through
these seasonal shifts. At night during mating season, their bodies stayed
significantly warmer (by up to 10 degrees Celsius) than the air. The lizards
maintained this temperature difference for up to eight days without the help of
sunlight.
Researchers saw a steady
rise in heart rate and body temperature, suggesting that tegu lizards have an
unusual ability to produce and sustain body heat. Though the exact mechanism
remains unclear, metabolic changes that come with reproduction could drive up
the lizards’ body temperatures, the researcher suspect. The work lends credence
to the idea that reproduction played a role in the evolution of
warm-bloodedness.
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