Heating and cooling rates of eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, Crotalus adamanteus

1.Establishing if and how organisms modulate temperature changes is an important component of understanding their thermal biology.2.We used temperature-sensitive radio-transmitters to monitor heating and cooling rates between 5 and 35 °C of four Crotalus adamanteus in the laboratory.3.We found no difference between heating and cooling rates in C. adamanteus. Additionally, rates of temperature change mirrored those of a biophysical model, further suggesting a lack of physiological thermoregulation.4.Our findings contrast previously published studies that demonstrate active temperature control of similarly sized reptiles and demonstrate a need for more investigations of physiological thermoregulation in reptiles.