In many documentaries we can see how reptiles and amphibians remain practically immobile on stones and other surfaces, dedicating themselves only and exclusively to sunbathing. Why do they do it? On what is this surprising behavior based? The answer is that they are cold-blooded animals, a concept that colloquially refers to the different groups of species scientifically known as ectothermic animals. Without a doubt, the different adaptations and behavior patterns that cold-sangria animals have developed throughout evolution are most interesting.
Continue reading this Green Ecologist article and you will discover the names and main characteristics of +10 cold-blooded animals.
Why are they called cold-blooded animals
The term "cold blooded" commonly associated with different groups of animals (such as reptiles and amphibians), refers to the need for these organisms to regulate your body temperature using the temperature of the medium in which they live. That is, the cold blooded animals They are not capable of maintaining the temperature of their body by themselves, but are totally dependent on a correct thermoregulation from the outside.
Here are some examples of cold-blooded animals to better understand how they carry out this thermoregulation process.
Crocodiles, large cold-blooded animals
The crocodiles (genus Crocodylus), one of the largest reptiles, are characterized by the need to regulate their body temperature between the aquatic and terrestrial environments in which they inhabit.
To do this, crocodiles tend to stay submerged in water (of rivers, lakes and wetlands) during the night, since at this time, the water is kept at a higher temperature than the terrestrial environment. On the contrary, when the first rays of the sun arrive, crocodiles come out of the water to take advantage of the high daytime temperatures, remaining immobile and opening their gigantic mouths to thus achieve a greater surface in contact with direct sunlight.
Find out more about these amazing animals with this other post by Green Ecologist about the Crocodile Habitat: where does it live?
Lizards, animals that go to the sun to warm themselves
Lizards are probably the reptiles best known for their habits of expose yourself to the sun's rays to capture heat enough to allow you to regulate your body temperature. However, there are other adaptations that lizards have been able to develop to adapt to the temperature of the environment that is most suitable for survival. For example, the well-known ocellated lizardTimon lepidus)In times of drought, intense heat and low humidity, he chooses to fully immerse himself for several minutes in the water of rivers and marshes, staying cooler and thus avoiding excessively hot temperatures outside.
On the other hand, the species Executioner phymaturus or iguanid lizards It stands out for its ability to regulate its body temperature thanks to its melanism (dark pigmentation of the skin), which allows it to better adapt to low temperature conditions, thus allowing it to devote more time to other activities not related to the thermoregulation of her body.
Reptiles are cold-blooded animals: lizards
Between the lizards, highlights the genus Iberolacerta, which includes various species of high mountain lizards. These are strongly conditioned by the restrictions that low ambient temperatures and little winter solar radiation prevent them from self-regulating their body temperature easily.
This other group of cold-blooded reptiles or ectotherms, are currently threatened by the effects of climate change, so any scientific study related to the thermal biology of ectothermic lacértids It will be very useful to avoid its extinction in the medium term.
Vipers
In addition to being known for their powerful poison, vipers, (family Viperidae), are characterized by their need to be exposed to sunlight for several hours a day to regulate their body temperature. They are normally located on rocks, thus acquiring, through a conduction process, the heat accumulated in the rock or other surfaces.
They are capable of dilating or, on the contrary, contracting the most peripheral blood vessels of their anatomy, thus allowing a rapid adaptation to ambient temperature.
Turtles, reptiles that thermoregulate with the sun
Many species of turtles, especially the marine ones, are considered as gigantothermic animals, characterized by its large dimensions and the ability to maintain both temperatures and high metabolism rates, thanks to its high surface / volume ratio.
They are grouped within poikilothermic ectothermic reptiles, since they tend to regulate their body temperature in a conformist way, that is, allowing their own temperature to fluctuate along with that of the environment in which it is found.
Find out more about these animals in this other article in which we show you Names of species of freshwater turtles.
Toads
Between amphibians best known, toads (family Bufonidae) They inhabit almost all the world's ecosystems, with the exception of the polar regions and in very arid desert areas, always adapting to the climatic conditions and temperature of the environment in order to self-regulate their own body temperature.
Species such as the common toadBufo bufo) and the runner toadEpidalea calamita), both capable of surviving for months on little food, as long as they have their energy and temperature needs covered.
Ants, small cold-blooded animals
Numerous Invertebrate animalsLike insects, they are capable of heating their flight muscles through repeated vibrations, thus being able to adapt to the temperature of the environment in which they live.
They stand out from them ants (Family Formicidae) for their ability to build their ant hills under large stones that remain exposed to the sun. In this way, the ants manage to maintain a higher temperature throughout the areas of the anthill that are located under the stones.
Orthoptera insects
They are also striking for their thermoregulative capacity, insects belonging to the group of Orthoptera, among which stand out the crickets (Grillydae family) Y grasshoppers (suborder Caelifera). The behavior of these insects to try to obtain the maximum possible heat from the solar rays is really surprising. To do this, they are placed from early in the morning on vertical supports, such as plants and shrubs. Later, they move to the ground surface, to continue capturing the solar radiation re-emitted by the ground.
Bony fish
Fish are also cold blooded animals. Due to their variable metabolism, many of the bony fish have developed certain adaptations that allow them to regulate their body temperature. Tunas (genus Thunnus) for example, they have a complex adaptation, the swimming muscle. it heats up due to the effort and action of swimming, being able to exchange emergy in the form of heat.
Other bony fish, on the other hand, simply change their depth in the water throughout the day, to find the most suitable temperature for their energy needs, and capture heat thanks to solar radiation. This is the case, for example, of sunfishSo great), the heaviest bony fish in the world.
Cartilaginous fish
The other major group that stands out in the classification of fish, the group of cartilaginous fish, are also characterized by being cold-blooded and need to adapt their body temperature to that of the aquatic environment in which they are found. Among all of them, stands out the great white sharkCarchadoron carcharias) as one of the gigantothermic fish capable of maintaining high temperatures and metabolism rates thanks to its high surface / volume ratio.
If you want to read more articles similar to +10 cold-blooded animals, we recommend that you enter our Wild Animals category.
Bibliography- Alfaro, V. et al. Animal Physiology: Body temperature and heat transfer processes. Textos Docents, University of Barcelone, Volume I, pp: 141-150.
- Sanmiguel, R. A. & Díaz, V. (2011) Physiological mechanisms of thermoregulation in production animals. Colombian Journal of Animal Science, Volume IV.
- Literas, S. (2022) Importance of melanism in the thermal biology of the lizard Executioner phymaturus. Digital Library, National University of Cuyo (Argentina).
- Ortega, Z. (2015) Thermal biology of high mountain lizards of the genus Iberolacerta. CREDOS, University of Salamanca (Spain).
