Heating and cooling rates of eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, Crotalus adamanteus

Abstract

1. Establishing if and how organisms modulate temperature changes is an important component of understanding their thermal biology. 2. We used temperature-sensitive radio-transmitters to monitor heating and cooling rates between 5 and 35 °C of four Crotalus adamanteus in the laboratory. 3. We found no difference between heating and cooling rates in C. adamanteus. Additionally, rates of temperature change mirrored those of a biophysical model, further suggesting a lack of physiological thermoregulation. 4. Our findings contrast previously published studies that demonstrate active temperature control of similarly sized reptiles and demonstrate a need for more investigations of physiological thermoregulation in reptiles.