ectotherm

To measure the habitat temperatures available to Girdled Lizards (left), the study’s authors used 'operative temperature models' (right). These models were hollow copper replicas of the lizards, with a temperature sensor inside that was connected to a central data logger. By mimicking the thermal properties of live organisms in the absence of physiological function, these models can accurately predict the temperature that a live organism would experience in the same location. (Photos by Raquel A. Garcia)