Abstract
Temperature affects physiological performance in reptiles and, therefore, body temperature (T b ) control is argued to have an important adaptive value. Alterations in T b due to transient changes in physiological state, as during digestion or gestation, are often linked to the potential benefits of a more precise T b regulation. However, such ther- moregulatory responses in nature remain controversial, particularly for tropical snakes. Herein, we measured T b of the golden lanceheads, Bothrops insularis (Amaral, 1921), at Queimada Grande Island, southeastern Brazil, to test for alter- ation in selected body temperatures associated with feeding or gestation. We found no evidence that postprandial or gravid snakes selected for higher T b indicating that, under natural conditions, body temperature regulation in B. insularis apparently encompasses other ecological factors beyond physiological state per se.
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