Heating and cooling rates of eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, Crotalus adamanteus

Aaron N. Rice, T. Luther Roberts IV, and Michael E. Dorcas

Department of Biology, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035-7118, USA

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.

Keywords: Crotalus adamanteus; Cooling; Heating; Physiology; Radiotelemetry; Rattlesnake; Temperature; Thermoregulation