Digestion and assimilation of nutrients and energy is central to survival. At its most basic
level, investigations of digestion in animals must examine digestive efficiency, or how much …

Antifungals are used in exotic avian and reptile species for the treatment of fungal diseases.
Dose extrapolations across species are common due to lack of species-specific …

This chapter focuses on the ethological aspects and proximate mechanisms of
thermoregulatory behavior of lizards, occasionally drawing from research on other reptiles. It …

Processing food (eg ingestion, digestion, assimilation) requires energy referred to as
specific dynamic action (SDA) and is at least partially fuelled by oxidation of the nutrients (eg …

An efficient digestive system is of pivotal importance for survival as it governs the energy
flow from the environment to organisms. Reptiles require relatively little energy, and their …

Predator–prey relationships are a central element of ecological community dynamics. The
classification of a species as either predator or prey may change, especially when …

In most animals, juveniles are not merely miniature editions of adults. They differ in fact in
numerous aspects, including morphology, anatomy, physiology, locomotor performance …

1 COPYRIGHT NOTICE The copyright of this thesis vests in the University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, South Africa, in acc Page 1 1 COPYRIGHT NOTICE The copyright of this …