Thermal Passivity of a Tropical Forest Lizard, Anolis polylepis

Data on body temperatures and perch site selection of Anolis polylepis, a lizard which rarely basks, were collected in the tropical wet forest of southwestern Costa Rica during the peak of the rainy season. Body temperatures were consistently higher than and strongly correlated with air temperatures, and increased through the day. Adult males and females perched in significantly different parts of the understory, but had similar body temperatures. Data on the availability of sun patches suggest that these tropical anoles are active over a wide range of body temperatures because the relative cost of basking in the forest is high.