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Science 1 December 1967:
Vol. 158. no. 3805, pp. 1197 - 1198
DOI: 10.1126/science.158.3805.1197
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Articles

Gekkonid Lizards Adapt Fat Storage to Desert Environments

H. Robert Bustard 1

1 Queen Elizabeth II Fellow, Department of Zoology, Australian National University, Canberra

Coleonyx v. variegatus is adapted to feed voraciously after deprivation of food and to withstand long periods without food. In 4 days specimens converted enough food into reserves to increase their weight by about 50 percent. Total deprivation of food resulted in very gradual loss of weight, which, if maintained, would result in 4 days of feeding being sufficient to sustain the animal for periods of 6 to 9 months.


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