You read my mind. I was thinking along the same thread.... "what effects would these behavior changes have on an animal's fitness... Could there be an adaptive advantage in these behavior changes for a snake who somehow happened to incubate at higher than normal temps? Would there be significant temp. differences from one side of a cluster of eggs in the wild (top or bottom of pile) to create behavior differences among hatchlings? Are there any implications if in fact the planet is experiencing a warming trend?

I think the same group studied incubation material moisture content to see if there were any behavior changes...... I will look around for that study.

Also, there is a fantastic study on thermal ecology of Ruthven's pine snakes that is quite easy to find on line and it has some good info that keepers can utilize in their husbandry techniques.....

I have to call you on two points (this is meant in good fun and I hope you take it that way).... is there really such a word as "conflictory" ? You do get points for creativity..LOL..! and not to be an even bigger A hole but this was a study with statistically measurable results which is contradictory to calling their findings anecdotal..(I think). I am not calling you out on that point to be mean but I thought it was important to draw a distinction between anecdotal information and information based on what appears to be a relatively good example of the scientific method...... but then again, I am no english major so......

Actually the more I think about it the more I want to go look up the word "anecdotal" to get a solid webster definition....

Thanks again for getting us thinking about the ecology and physiology of the creatures we enjoy working with.....
Cheers,

Ginter

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