What is the difference between hot and cold blooded animals

And of course, this short ish discussion is streamlined for the sake of time and space! I hope to see you visiting all of the wonderful ectotherms and endotherms that reside at Zoo Atlanta! Robert Hill Assistant Curator of Herpetology. Generic filters Hidden label. Hidden label. Donate Timed Ticketing Membership.

Tickets Map Your Visit. Back to News and Stories. Cold Blooded Animals. Body Temperature. Keep its body temperature the same no matter what the outside temperature is, ir. They can maintain a constant body temperature. Their internal body temperature gets hotter or colder based on the temperature outside. So, they cannot maintain constant body temperature.

Example- Mammals and birds. Reptiles, insects, and fish amphibians. They obtain energy from food consumption. They obtain energy from the surrounding environment. Effect of Body Fat. Fat is pretty important for mammals or hot blooded animals as it helps animals like seals and whales to keep warm in the freezing oceans.

Here, more fat causes overheating of the bodies that may also result in death. Chances of infections or diseases. The constant heat of the bodies provide a perfect incubator for germs and are prone to get sick or infections. Cold blooded animals do not cultivate the germs easily thus preventing infections.

However, if the bodies are cold for too long they will be unable to fight off infections and disease. Humans can even survive the coldest temperatures of Antarctica. There are various cold blooded species, and they differ in the manner in which their body temperature changes with variations in the environment. They are cold when their surroundings are cold, and hot when it is hot.

This is called thermoregulation, and there are three varieties:. These creatures are warmed by the sun or cooled by the water, e. They are cold or hot as they move between the environments, e. These are creatures that go into a hibernation-like state depending on the outside temperature, or availability of food, e. There are also numerous warm blooded species, whose body temperature stays at predominantly constant levels, and are identified by how thermoregulation adjusts their body temperature.

There are three types of thermoregulation for warm blooded species, and these are:. Cold blooded animals have several advantages, as they require much less energy to survive than their warm blooded counterparts; therefore, they need less food.

Secondly, they do not provide a compatible environment for germs, parasites, or microorganisms to thrive and grow, and are more resistant to disease; however, when they do get an illness, they lower their body temperature to combat the infection.

Although cold blooded animals can be as speedy as their warm blooded counterparts, warm blooded animals have more stamina, because their higher metabolism generates energy faster.

Warm blooded animals are active in cold environments, whereas, their counterparts can barely move. Warm blooded animals can hunt for food during hot or cold extremes, whereas cold blooded animals, when cold, can only hunt after they have warmed themselves in the sun.

The immune system of warm blooded animals is also better developed.