Thermoregulation and cognition data

Here we examined whether enhanced cognition translates into more efficient thermoregulation, while also taking into account the possible confounding role of personality. To do that, we first assessed the spatial cognitive performance of male common wall lizards in two different spatial learning tasks, as well as three personality traits (boldness, explorativeness, and sociality). We then recorded lizards’ preferred body temperature range in a thermal gradient. We assessed the lizards’ thermoregulatory performance by recording their body surface temperatures and heat source use in a large enclosure with different heating source types (lamps, heating stones, thermal mats), mimicking a spatiotemporally heterogeneous thermal environment.