Oxygen consumption (Vo2), thermal conductance (Cmin), body temperature (Tb) and evaporative water loss (EWL) of the spectacled dormouseGraphiurus ocularis(A. Smith 1829) were measured at ambient temperatures(Ta)between 5 and 35 °C. G.ocularisis not well adapted to highTas and aboveTa= 30 °C there was a significant increase inCminand EWL. An elevatedTbabove the lower critical limit of thermoneutrality (Tlc) was recorded before more energetically expensive cooling mechanisms were employed. The basal metabolic rate (BMR) andCminwere lower than expected relative to body mass. It is hypothesised that the interplay of lower-than-expected BMR andCminis an adaptation to scarce and unpredictable food resources.G. ocularisexhibited patterns of torpor intermediate between those of subtropical and temperate dormice.