shivering thermogenesis??
I'm reading a generic overview of snakes from a preview of a book on Amazon (as one does) and it mentioned that when a female retic is guarding her eggs, she will curl around her clutch and incubate them with a process called shivering thermogenesis; this is the female's muscles continually twitching, and it can raise her body temperature almost 15 degrees F!
This is common across the python family, but isn't it fascinating that, although they're cold blooded, retics can shiver and produce their own body heat? This response is only available when she's unable to leave her clutch and bask, I suppose, but I think this is really really cool!
Maybe 1. I'm the last one to learn this, or 2. I'm just a bored dork to get so inspired by common-knowledge snake facts. Reptiles are just so awesome!! :snake:
Re: shivering thermogenesis??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
wolftrap
I'm reading a generic overview of snakes from a preview of a book on Amazon (as one does) and it mentioned that when a female retic is guarding her eggs, she will curl around her clutch and incubate them with a process called shivering thermogenesis; this is the female's muscles continually twitching, and it can raise her body temperature almost 15 degrees F!
This is common across the python family, but isn't it fascinating that, although they're cold blooded, retics can shiver and produce their own body heat? This response is only available when she's unable to leave her clutch and bask, I suppose, but I think this is really really cool!
Maybe 1. I'm the last one to learn this, or 2. I'm just a bored dork to get so inspired by common-knowledge snake facts. Reptiles are just so awesome!! :snake:
Shivering creates friction. Friction creates heat. I think it is likely that it is true. Also some think Eggs create heat as the animal grows as well. Isn't nature awesome to have solutions to such things?
Re: shivering thermogenesis??
it's very awesome what nature has figured out! when the female retic is allowed to do this thermogenesis, she spends so much energy on it that she'll often lose half of her body weight and she won't be able to produce again for perhaps 3-4 years.... bummer dude! it's just very cool stuff~~
