Abstract
Abstract Parental care in reptiles has been correlated with cold climates and harsh environments. We investigated whether behavioral patterns indicating parental care occurred in the lizard, Liolaemus elongatus, a viviparous species found on rocky outcrops of the Argentinean Patagonia. Five pregnant females were captured during the austral summer and brought to the laboratory for observations. The females were filmed for short periods of time during six days after the birth of their young. During that time, the mothers and offspring were presented with three predatory stimuli, a Diplolaemus sexcinctus, a male Liolaemus elongatus, and a stuffed hawk, Elanus leucurus. Their responses were recorded as well as the distance between mothers and offspring during the experiments and when no stimuli were presented. Except for one female, mothers constructed burrows in which the neonates were born. Mothers and their offspring occupied the same shelter for the whole period of observation. When presented with predato...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
