Data from: Dehydrated snakes reduce postprandial thermophily

Transient thermophily in ectothermic animals is a common response during
substantial physiological events. For example, ectotherms often elevate
body temperature after ingesting a meal. In particular, the increase in
metabolism during the postprandial response of pythons - known as specific
dynamic action – is supported by a concurrent increase in preferred
temperature. The objective of this study was to determine whether
hydration state influenced digestion-related behavioral thermophily.
Sixteen (8 male and 8 female) Children’s pythons (Antaresia childreni)
with surgically implanted temperature data loggers were housed
individually and provided a thermal gradient of 25-45 °C. Body temperature
was recorded hourly beginning 6 days prior to feeding and for 18 days
post-feeding, thus covering pre-feeding, postprandial, and post-absorptive
stages. Each snake underwent this 24-day trial twice, once when hydrated
and once when dehydrated. Our results revealed a significant interaction
between temperature preference, digestive stage, and hydration state.
Under both hydrated and dehydrated conditions, snakes similarly increased
their body temperature shortly after consuming a meal, but during the
later days of the postprandial stage, snakes selected significantly lower
(~1.5°C) body temperature when they were dehydrated compared to when they
were hydrated. Our results demonstrate a significant effect of hydration
state on postprandial thermophily, but the impact of this
dehydration-induced temperature reduction on digestive physiology (e.g.,
passage time, energy assimilation) is unknown and warrants further study.