"They were extremely good at it," said Mark Acierno, a small animal internist at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. "We know now that vitamin D is very important, and they'll go out of their way to change their behavior to make sure they get enough." Karsten suspects that the chameleons have a sensor in their brains that tells them how high or low their vitamin D levels are. The results of his study were published in the journal Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. Until recently, most reptile sunbathing research had focused on basking's role in regulating body temperature. Gaining a more detailed understanding of why lizards do what they do, Acierno said, should help people, zoos, and other groups who raise exotic animals in captivity. "If we want to keep them in captivity and we want them to live a normal life span in a healthy fashion," Acierno said, "We need to understand these things. In that sense, it's really important." Related Links: Discovery News Blog: Born Animal |
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