Oxygen consumption (Vo ₂), thermal conductance (C ^min ), body temperature (T _b ) and evaporative water loss (EWL) of the spectacled dormouse Graphiurus ocularis(A. Smith 1829) were measured at ambient temperatures (T _a ) between 5 and 35 °C. G. ocularis is not well adapted to high T _a s and above T _a = 30 °C there was a significant increase in C _min and EWL. An elevated T _b above the lower critical limit of thermoneutrality (T _lc) was recorded before more energetically expensive cooling mechanisms were employed. The basal metabolic rate (BMR) and C _min were lower than expected relative to body mass. It is hypothesised that the interplay of lower-than-expected BMR and C _min is an adaptation to scarce and unpredictable food resources. G. ocularis exhibited patterns of torpor intermediate between those of subtropical and temperate dormice. Keywords: dormice, thermoregulation, torpor, Graphiurus ocularis.