Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I don't know how many people have looked into this kind of thing around here but I assume some people should find this interesting. It's actually a research article on Hoop Larks using the egyptian uro burrows to escape the heat, but has charts on average air temperature, surface temperature, burrow air temperature, and burrow temperature during most of the day.

http://www.tielemani.fmns.rug.nl/Williamsetal1999.pdf

That is an extremely interesting article! Thank you for sharing it with us. Assuming that I did the conversions to Fahrenheit correctly (or more accurately used the google calculator correctly), those burrow temps are much higher than I expected. As are the surface temps during the day. It just goes to show me how far our concept of an "ideal" Egyptian set up still us from nature. Though, as we have discussed regularly, they are no longer IN nature so the ideal changes.

Thank you again for sharing the article. I have the funniest mental image of Mosca sharing a burrow with a bunch of birds... Now THAT is something I would like to see someday!

Elizabeth
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1.0 Mali Uro Archimedes (May he rest in peace)
0.0.1 Egyptian Uro Zuberi Mosca Khu (Mosca)
0.0 Fish
0.1 Sulcata Minnie
1.1 Iguanas Flik and Loki
0.1 Newfoundland Jasmine (RIP)
0.1 Feline Winter
Indiana & Wisconsin

I'm pretty sure you did the calculations right. The lowest the burrow air temperatures got in June/July was in the very high 80s in the wee morning hours. The burrow surface temps were just a smidge higher.

My biggest curiosity was what the uro did while the bird was in the burrow. Do they just wait for it to leave to go inside or are they stuck inside? Sad that we have to vicariously read a hoop lark study to find out about these things...

Keep in mind this was not really a study on U aegyptia like the title of this thread suggests but a study on how a uromastyx burrow provides thermal relief/escape for larks.

The temperatures given are only at a depth of 8-12 inches which is where the lark seeks shelter not necessarily where a uromastyx seeks shelter from the heat. Aegyptia burrows can get quite a bit larger than what this article shows with some running 30 feet in length and depths up to 6 feet. (Bouskila)

I read this article a couple of years ago and thought it was a great article on burrow depths and temperatures for larks.