The most striking thing about the animals (including humans) is that they potential to regulate their body temperature. Therefore, on the ground of this animal kingdom has been broadly classified under two categories: Warm blooded and Cold blooded. This is also known as animals thermoregulation.
On addition, the term ‘cold blooded’ should not be misunderstood, that these animals carries cold blood into their bod, the only thing is that their body temperature changes as per the temperature of the place where they are living.
Cold Blooded
Such animals that are not able to maintain their constant body temperature falls under this category and adjust their body temperature as per the external environment. Cold blooded animals organ system are not so well developed, that needs energy to functions especially brain. To exemplified, amphibians, insects, fish, reptiles, etc.
Warm Blooded
Such animals that are able to maintain their constant body temperature falls under this category. These have complex organ systems. Such as, birds and mammals.
Difference Between Cold Blooded and Warm Blooded
Also known as
Cold blooded animals are also known as Ectotherms or Poikilotherms.
Warm blooded animals are also known as Endotherms or Homeotherms.
Significant features
Ectotherms are unable to maintain their constant body temperature along with the changes in the environment.
Endotherms are able to maintain their constant body temperature, that is managed even during the change in the temperature of an environment.
Ectothermic animals are not that much active, if they are in the cold environment. As they are unable to consume sufficient amount meals in order to make their muscles movement at a required pace.
Endothermic are ready to spring into action, due to the proper maintenance of their internal body regulation, and that’s what keep their muscles movement active throughout to work.
Type of sleep
Cold blooded may exhibit aestivation (summer sleep) and hibernation (winter sleep) to survive from the harsh climate.
Warm blooded animals does not exhibit the hibernation or aestivation, with few exception that undergoes hypothermia.
Food requirement
Cold blooded need less amount of food and can rely on sunlight and other external factors to regulate their body heat, and so their body needs lees food.
Warm blooded animals requires 3 – 10 times as much food to survive, as they create their own body heat to perform their muscle and other metabolic activities.
Body temperature
They do not have any particular body temperature as they can make changes as per their external environment temperature.
Generally, their body temperature ranging between 35-40 degree Celsius.
Metabolic rate
The metabolic rates of the cold blooded animals depends on the external environmental temperature.
The warm-blooded maintains the proper body temperature and so is their metabolic rates that does not changes due to fluctuation in the outer environment.
Effects of body fats
They cannot store excess amount body fat, as it can lead to overheating of their bodies and may bring to death of an animal.
It becomes necessary for the warm-blooded animals to store fat, that is needed to maintain body heat, and to perform other metabolic activities.
Capability to fight against microorganisms
These animals have potential to fight against microorganism, by changing their body temperature, that works against the foreign body and in this way their defense mechanism works.
The immune system of warm-blooded is highly developed and complexed too. Their body functions at all level to defend the foreign invasions.
Examples
Reptiles, Fishes.
Aves, Mammals.
Quick Comparison: Cold Blooded Vs Warm Blooded
| Cold blooded | Warm blooded |
|---|---|
| Cold blooded animals are also known as Ectotherms or Poikilotherms. | Warm blooded animals are also known as Endotherms or Homeotherms. |
| Ectotherms are unable to maintain their constant body temperature along with the changes in the environment. | Endotherms are able to regulate their constant body temeprature, that is continued even during the change in the temperature of an environment. |
| Ectothemric animals are not that much active, if they are in the cold environment. As they are unable to consume sufficient amount meals in order to make their muscles movement at a required pace. | Endothermic are ready to spring into action, due to the proper maintenance of their internal body regulation, and that's what keep their muscles movement active throughout to work. |
| Cold blooded may undergo aestivation (summer sleep) and hibernation (winter sleep) to cop up from the harsh climate. | Warm blooded animals does not exhibit the hibernation or aestivation, with few exception that undergoes hypothermia. |
| Cold blooded need less amount of food and can rely on other external factors to regulate their body heat. | Warm blooded animals requries 3 - 10 times as much food to survive, as they create their own body heat to perform their muscle and other metabolic activities. |
| Cold-blooded do not have any particular body temperature as they can make changes as per their external environment temperature. | Warm-blooded have their body temperature range between 35-40 degree Celsius. |
| The metabolic rates of the cold blooded animals depends on the external environmental temperature. | The warm-blooded maintains the proper body temperature and so is their metabolic rates that does not changes due to any sudden changes in the outer environment. |
| Ecotherms cannot store excess amount body fat, as it can lead to overheating of their bodies resulting in death of an animal. | It beomes neccessary for the warm-blooded animals to store fat, that is needed to maintain body heat, and to perform other metabolic activities. |
| Capability to fight against microorganisms of cold-blooded animals are at good rate, they do so by chaniging their body temperature, that works against the foreign body and in this way their defense mechanism works. | The immune system of warm-blooded is highly developed and complexed too. Their body functions at all level to defend the foreign invasions. |
| Examples are Reptiles, Fishes. | Aves, Mammals comes under warm-blooded. |
Bottom line
With the more research work performed by the scientists, we are updating the knowledge in this field too, that how it is possible for the living creature to live into the chilling, heated, swampy, or other places where temperatures varies a lot. For instance, studies on dinosaurs revealed that they were ‘mesotherms’.
The reason behind this is that they use to maintain their body temperature in a combined way, where not only the external environment temperature, but their body’s internal environment used to play the crucial role in thermoregulation.
Even, the mole and bats falls under the category of mammals, but their body temperature vary with the changes in the environmental temperature. Few bees and moths regulate their body temperature by beating up their wings. Also, fishes have the potential to protect their brains and eyes from getting too cold by maintaining their internal body temperature.
