Inter- and intra-individual variation in body temperatures of the galapagos land iguana (Conolophus Pallidus)

1.|Measurements of the body temperature of free-ranging Conolophus pallidus during the hot season revealed significant inter- and intra-individual variation in midday body temperature (Th).

2.|No sexual differences in mean tb were found between the sexes at 07:00 h, during midday (12:00-16:00 h), or at 17:00 h. However, females were significantly more variable than males at midday. By 18:30 h, females had cooled to a significantly cooler Tb because of their smaller body mass.

3.|Males exhibited no difference between mean body temperatures at midday and 17:00 h, but females showed a significant increase in Tb at 17:00 h just prior to entering a sleeping site for the night.

4.|There were no significant differences between the sexes with respect to the rate of warming in the morning, the time of first movement in the morning or Tb at that time. Time and Tb at first activity were highly variable among days for each individuals.