HowtoBeattheHeat
Endothermsandectothermshavevariouswaystokeepfromgettingtoohot.Onewayissweating.Endothermssweattokeeptheirbodiesfromoverheating.Whenyousweat,heatmovesoutsideyourbodyaswater.Asthewaterevaporates,youcool down.
Mostendothermsdon’thavesweatglands.Yet,theyhaveotherwaystocooldown.Dogspant.Witheachbreath,moistureevaporatesfromtheir tongues.
Dogsdon'tsweat.Instead,theypanttocool down.
Manyanimalsusetheirearstobeattheheat.Anelephant’slargeearshavemanyveins.Heatfromthewarmbloodmovesthroughthethinskinintotheair.Cooledbloodthencirculatesthroughthe body.
Thiskangaroolicksitsarmtokeep cool.
Thisfennecfoxusesitsbigearstocool down.
Kangarooslicktheirforearmstocooldown.It’salittlegross,butitworksforkangaroos.Ectothermscanoverheat,too.Somelizardsburrowintothegroundtokeep cool.
Thisiguanaburrowsintothesoiltocool down.
HowtoTurnUptheHeat
Ectothermssuchasreptilessometimesburrowintothegroundforanotherreason.Whentheweatherturnscold,theyhibernate.
Thiswalrus’slayersofblubberhelpprotectitfromthe cold.
Endothermslikebirdsandmammalsturnuptheheatbyshivering.Thebrainsignalsmusclestovibrate.Thisproducesheattowarmthebody.Someectotherms,likebees,shiver, too.
Manyendothermshavehair,fur,orfeathersthatkeepthecoldairoutandthebodyheatin.Marinemammalsgrowthicklayersoffatcalled blubber.
Endothermvs.Ectotherm
So,whichanimalshavetheadvantagetosurvive?Ifasnakewastryingtocatchamouseonacoolday,themouseprobablyhasthe advantage.
However,thesnakeneedsalotlessfoodthanthemousedoesto survive.
EndothermscanlivealmostanyplaceonEarth.Mostectothermscanonlysurviveinwarmandmildclimates.It’shardtosaywhichhastheupperhand.Lookslikebothhavewaystosurviveintheir environment.
Amouseisan endotherm.Asnakeisan ectotherm.
