Abstract
Collared lizards maintained in individual outdoor runways behaviorally selected a body temperature of 37-38 C. Removal of the parapineal component (parietalectomy) of the pineal complex elevated the temperature selected by lizards, although this increase was not statistically significant. On the other hand, pinealectomy or a combination of pinealectomy and parietalectomy significantly lowered lizard body temperatures. The available evidence indicates that the parietal eye and pineal organ mediate these responses through brain centers, such as the hypothalamus, by both neural and hormonal mechanisms. The role of the pineal complex as part of a homeostatic mechanism transducing thermal as well as photic environmental signals is discussed.
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