Evidence for Thermoregulation in the Tortoise Chersine Angulata

Abstract

The results of experiments on Chersine angulata suggest that a mechanism exists for controlling rate of change of body temperature over the range 20-35°C. Active retardation of heat uptake close to the upper temperature is a prominent feature as measured by cloacal temperature. Unlike other reptiles so far studied, Chersine angulata, when alive, cools more rapidly than it heats up. Dead animals heat and cool at the same rate, and more rapidly than live animals. It is suggested that overheating is the critical factor in the thermal relations of the tortoise.