TEMPERATURE 
Lizard Ethology 
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Foraging 
tures when orienting to a photothermal 
source — clinging, for example, to rock 
prominences or shelves to expose their 
dorsum to the light. 
The postures employed when perching are 
more suggestive of readiness for rapid 
action than those of basking. A relative in- 
sensitivity to stimuli in basking lizards was 
noted by Rand (1964) for Ameiva, Bartholo- 
mew (1966) for the Galapogos marine 
iguana, Amblyrhynchiis, and Anderson 
(personal communication) for two species 
of Sceloporits. That lizards respond to 
stimuli more readily when in the perching 
posture is indicated by an analysis of the 
feeding and foraging episodes that occurred 
during basking or perching (Table 1) 
(Greenberg, 19736), During basking, relative 
immobility would make exposed lizards less 
attractive to predators. 
The postural distinction between basking 
and perching may vary considerably among 
species, but familiarity with the differences 
may be useful in making observations on 
levels of arousal, activity, and alertness. 
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Food and Water 
[— I — I — I 1— I — I — I pi — I — I 
I 2 4 I 2 4 I 2 4 
NUMBER OF RECORDS 
Figure 8. The body temperature correlates of sit- 
and wait feeding (predation from the perch) and 
foraging. 
lizards expose themselves to the sun (helio- 
thermy) or some other thermal source and 
assume postures or orientations which 
maximize the rate of heat gain. Since bask- 
ing behavior can vary with the habitat and 
with the lizard’s physiological requirements, 
it is unlikely that all lizards must neces- 
sarily bask in order to become active (Regal, 
this volume). 
The blue spiny lizard and rainbow lizard 
use distinctive postures when they find 
sources of thermal reinforcement (Figs. 9, 
10). They sometimes get into awkward pos- 
Most knowledge of lizard feeding habits 
is derived from gastric or scat analyses (for 
example, Fitch, 1954; Knowlton, 1938; Blair, 
1960) and occasional observations of preda- 
tory encounters. There is only scant infor- 
mation about the drinking habits of lizards. 
One suspects that these aspects of a lizard’s 
life are among the most sensitive to the 
“observer effect.” The cues that may draw a 
lizard into a drinking or feeding situation 
are not understood, but prey movement, 
sound, odor, or the feeding activity of con- 
geners are probably important. Anolis 
carolinensis typically requires a dew-like 
coating from which water may be licked, 
while Sceloporus cyanogenys may learn of 
available water only by moving drops or 
ripples. 
Freedom from the need to search for food 
has been implicated as a factor contributing 
to abnormal behavior in some small captive 
