Development of Motor Self-Regulation and Object Permanence in Monitor Lizards

I will present an ongoing ontogenetic study on ten baby monitor lizards, looking at motor self-regulation and object permanence using a detour paradigm. I will track their performance over time and compare it against five adult monitor lizards. In addition, I will try to use thermal imagery to see physiological changes that happen during tests, like blood being shunted to the brain. If possible, we might see evidence that they think before acting. Lastly, since the opportunity to work with juveniles over time is rare, I am also collecting a lot of other data, some of which involves me recording their behaviour 24/7, for months. In short, the babies may be tiny but the challenges are huge, so I am looking forward to your input.

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