Thermally induced torpor in fullterm lizard embryos synchronizes hatching with ambient conditions
Eggs inside an underground nest have limited access to information about above-ground conditions that might affect the survival of emerging hatchlings. Our measurements of heart rates of embryos inside the intact eggs of montane lizards ( Bassiana duperreyi , Scincidae) show that low temperatures induce torpor in fullterm embryos, but do not do so during earlier embryogenesis or later, post-hatching. Because above-ground conditions affect soil temperatures, this stage-dependent torpor effectively restricts hatching to periods of high ambient temperatures above ground. Torpor thus can function not only to synchronize activity with suitable environmental conditions during post-hatching life (as reported for many species), but also can occur in embryos, to synchronize hatching with above-ground conditions that facilitate successful emergence from the nest.