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Thermochron iButtons are commonly used by thermal biologists to continuously measure body temperature from animals. However, if unmodified, these devices are of a size that limits their use with very small animals. To allow iButtons to be used to study smaller species, methods to miniaturise them by 61% have been previously described. We present a method to reduce iButton mass by a further 71%. The modified devices have a shorter battery life, but the minimum size of vertebrates able to carry the devices is reduced from 28.9 g to 6.6 g, if the arbitrary, yet widely cited, maximum of 5% body mass for attached devices is adhered to. We demonstrate the application of our method by recording surface temperatures of captive and wild skinks and show that captive cockroaches weighing 0.8 g are also able to carry the device. We believe this to be the first time that temperature data have been recorded from an insect in this way.

Environmental temperature profoundly influences the body temperatures of reptiles, and hence the rates at which physiological processes occur. We review progress in understanding the thermal ecophysiology of New Zealand’s endemic, terrestrial reptiles (tuatara, geckos, and skinks), and in applying this knowledge to conservation. By understanding the constraints and opportunities that environmental temperature places on different life-history stages, including embryos in nests and those that develop within live-bearing females, we can plan better translocations, improve captive management, and make stronger predictions about risks from changes in climate. We encourage conservation physiologists to offer leadership in demonstrating the societal transformations necessary to sustain a liveable planet.