![]() |
Back to Fence Lizards Forum Forums Home Members Area
Fence Lizards Forum
Greatballzofire Geckos1218 |
| Member | Message | ||
|
Greatballzofire View Profile |
Pregnant Ladies Can’t Run Fast
Quote: Decreased mobility of gravid females is thought to be an important cost of reproduction in lizards. We measured sprint speeds of female western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis Baird and Girard) before and after they had oviposited. Females from two California populations were about 20% slower when gravid, females from an Oregon population were about 30% slower, and females from a Washington population were about 45% slower, compared to their speeds after recovering from reproduction. The decrease in sprint speed persisted for several weeks after oviposition, suggesting that reproduction impairs sprint performance by affecting body condition in addition to the burdening effect of eggs.
There is more in this link. My lizards are about to commence having young. My female Sky used to be very bold and active, but lately is reclusive and when I do see her, it is quite obvious she is gravid. She feeds well and looks very healthy. Her mate Indigo is out and about much more often, getting over his initial shyness. I can understand how she would want to make herself scarce, if she is a big pregnant lady and can’t scuttle as fast as she used to! |
||
| 06/20/08 07:04pm |
|
||
|
Geckos1218 View Profile |
Message To: Greatballzofire In reference to Message Id: 1767857
|
||
| 07/14/08 12:52pm |
|