Replication Data for: Handle with care: the thermal consequences of short-term handling in mole salamanders

Accurately measuring body temperature is critical for understanding how ectotherms interact with their thermal environment. In amphibians, traditional methods like cloacal thermometry often require restraint, potentially altering body temperature through stress and heat transfer from human hands. Here, we used infrared thermography to examine how short-term handling (2 min) impacted skin temperatures (Tskin) in two species of mole salamanders (Ambystoma laterale and A. maculatum) by combining field and lab experiments. We randomly assigned salamanders to a handled or control group (field), and a heating plate set to hand temperature or a control group (lab). We also scored salamander activity (active vs. inactive) in both settings. In the field, handling increased Tskin in both species, with the head warming up more than the dorsum. Moreover, A. laterale experienced an overall greater magnitude of thermal change (Delta Tskin) than A. maculatum due to body size differences. In the lab, contact with the heating plate increased Tskin, with head Tskin being consistently warmer than dorsal Tskin. We also found that Delta Tskin was greater for the handled than the heating plate group (Delta Tskin = 4.86 ± 1.21ºC vs. 1.72 ± 0.70ºC, respectively), suggesting that handling stress may amplify thermal responses. Warmer salamanders were also more prone to be active regardless of whether they were handled or in contact with a heating plate. Our results demonstrate that short-term handling can cause rapid warming that exceeds rates used in heat stress studies, with implications for data reliability and amphibian welfare.