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Cold blooded and Warm-blooded animals can be differentiated on the basis of metabolic rates, body temperatures, thermoregulation, energy production, genome sequence, available proteins, etc. Animals belonging to both these categories are regularly seen in our surroundings. Important aspects leading to distinguishing animals as cold-blooded and warm-blooded will be covered in this article.
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Cold-Blooded Animals
Animals that are incapable of regulating their body temperature, internally, with respect to the changing temperature of their surroundings are called cold-blooded animals.
Examples: Common examples of cold-blooded animals are fishes, turtles, reptiles, tortoises, snakes, alligators, amphibians, invertebrates, lizards, crocodiles, dragonflies, salamanders, etc.
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Warm-Blooded Animals
Animals that are capable of regulating their body temperature, internally, with respect to the changing temperature of their surroundings are called warm-blooded animals. Such animals can survive even the most extreme environmental conditions.
Examples: Common examples of warm-blooded animals are birds and mammals including humans.
Read More: Catabolism and Anabolism
Thermoregulation
Whenever biologists talk about cold-blooded and warm-blooded animals the term thermoregulation plays an important role. Thermoregulation gives the difference between cold-blooded and warm-blooded animals.
The capacity of organisms to regulate their internal body temperature within a given range regardless of external temperature is referred to as thermoregulation.
There are three different types of thermoregulation such as,
- Endothermic thermoregulation
- Ectothermic thermoregulation
- Mesothermic thermoregulation
In both these types of thermoregulation, animals have to either collect heat from the environment or generate their own heat. Animals having thermoregulation can be used as bioindicators to determine whether the temperature of the environment is constant.
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Endothermic ThermoregulationEndothermic thermoregulation is also known as homeothermic thermoregulation. This term is associated with warm blooded animals. Warm blooded animals often have high body temperatures. It is usually constant irrespective of the temperature of their surroundings. Metabolism helps such animals to maintain a constant body temperature.
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Ectothermic Thermoregulation
Ectothermic thermoregulation is also known as poikilothermic thermoregulation. This term is associated with cold blooded animals. The body temperature of cold blooded animals is constantly changing. With the change in temperature of their surrounding environment their body temperature changes as well. They themselves cannot regulate their body temperature since they have Ectothermic thermoregulation. This is the main difference between cold blooded and warm blooded animals.
Mesothermic Thermoregulation
Mesothermic thermoregulation is predicted to have occurred in animals such as dinosaurs when they were alive on the earth. In this type of thermoregulation, animals are capable of regulating their body temperature, internally, with respect to the changing temperature of their surroundings as well as are capable of generating and maintaining their own body heat.
Read More: Respiration and Combustion
Difference Between Cold Blooded And Warm Blooded Animals
The key differences between cold-blooded and warm-blooded animals are tabulated below.
| Features | Cold-blooded animals | Warm-blooded animals |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Animals that are incapable of regulating their body temperature, internally, with respect to the changing temperature of their surroundings are called cold-blooded animals. | Animals that are capable of regulating their body temperature, internally, with respect to the changing temperature of their surroundings are called warm-blooded animals. |
| Body Temperature | Cold-blooded animals do not have a definite body temperature | They have a definite body temperature which usually lies in the range of 35° to 40°C |
| Source Of Heat | The source of heat for cold-blooded animals is the heat from their surroundings and from the sun | Warm-blooded animals do not require an external heat source; they generate heat from their food |
| Regulation Of Heat | Cold-blooded animals regulate their body heat by bathing in the sunlight, strength their arms and legs, frequently changing the color of their bodies, etc | Warm-blooded animals regulate their body heat by sweating, migration, making changes to the surface area to volume ratio of their bodies, panting, etc |
| Energy | Cold-blooded animals obtain energy from the heat absorbed from their surroundings | Warm-blooded animals use the energy produced during the process of heat generation in their body |
| Diseases/Infections | Cold-blooded animals are less prone to infections and diseases | Warm-blooded animals are more prone to infections because to their constant body heat |
| Metabolism | The rate of metabolism of cold-blooded animals varies according to the changes in their surrounding environment | The rate of metabolism of warm-blooded animals does not vary with the changes in their surroundings |
| Microbial Resistance | Cold-blooded animals develop microbial resistance by reducing the temperature of their bodies in case of infections | Warm-blooded animals have a strong immune system which gives them resistance against microorganisms |
| Body Fat | Cold-blooded animals should have minimum body fat as it causes overheating of their bodies, and in extreme cases, death | Warm-blooded animals should have sufficient amount of body fat as it helps them to maintain their body heat |
| Adaptability | Cold-blooded animals have adapted to live with minimal brain activity | Warm-blooded animals have adapted to have active brains |
| Survival In Extreme Temperatures | Cold-blooded animals cannot survive in extreme hot and cold temperatures | Warm-blooded animals can regulate their body heat and survive perfectly well in extreme hot and cold temperatures |
| Resting Phases | Cold-blooded animals undergo either of the two resting phases: hibernation in winter or aestivation in summer | Warm-blooded animals do not undergo any resting phases |
| Organ Systems | Some cold-blooded animals do not have high functioning organ systems | Almost all warm-blooded animals have complex and high functioning organ systems |
| Genomes | Genomes in cold-blooded animals are complex in nature | Genomes in warm-blooded animals are more simple in nature |
| Proteins | In cold-blooded animals, the performance of proteins is temperature-dependent | In warm-blooded animals, the performance of proteins is independent of temperature |
| Examples | Lizards, crocodiles, dragonflies, salamanders, etc | Birds, mammals, humans |
Things to Remember
- Cold-blooded animals are animals that cannot regulate their body temperature.
- Warm-blooded animals are animals that can regulate their body temperature.
- Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to maintain its body temperature.
- There are 3 types of thermoregulation namely Endothermic thermoregulation, Ectothermic thermoregulation, and Mesothermic thermoregulation.
- The difference between cold-blooded and warm-blooded animals is done on the basis of a number of factors which include but are not limited to body temperature, metabolism, and organ systems.
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Sample Questions
Ques: Give the definition of warm-blooded animals with a few examples. [2 Marks]
Ans. Animals that are capable of regulating their body temperature, internally, with respect to the changing temperature of their surroundings are called warm-blooded animals.
Examples of warm-blooded animals: Birds, mammals, humans, etc.
Ques: Give the definition of cold-blooded animals with a few examples. [2 Marks]
Ans. Animals that are incapable of regulating their body temperature, internally, with respect to the changing temperature of their surroundings are called cold-blooded animals.
Examples of cold-blooded animals: fishes, turtles, reptiles, tortoises, snakes, etc.
Ques: Give examples of cold and warm-blooded animals. [2 Marks]
Ans. Examples of cold-blooded animals: fishes, turtles, reptiles, tortoises, snakes, alligators, amphibians, invertebrates, lizards, crocodiles, dragonflies, salamanders, etc.
Examples of warm-blooded animals: Birds, mammals, humans, etc.
Ques: Why are birds able to survive the extremely cold temperatures of winter? Give a reason. [3 Marks]
Ans. Birds are warm-blooded in nature. They have the ability to control and regulate their body temperature. They can increase and decrease the generation of heat in their body to match the temperature of their surroundings. Due to this ability of birds, they are able to survive extremely cold temperatures in winters.
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Ques: Give the difference between cold blooded and warm blooded animals. [5 Marks]
Ans:
| Cold Blooded Animals | Warm Blooded Animals |
|---|---|
| Animals that are incapable of regulating their body temperature, internally, with respect to the changing temperature of their surroundings are called cold blooded animals. | Animals that are capable of regulating their body temperature, internally, with respect to the changing temperature of their surroundings are called warm blooded animals. |
| Cold blooded animals cannot survive in extreme hot and cold temperatures. | Warm blooded animals can regulate their body heat and survive perfectly well in extreme hot and cold. |
| Cold blooded animals obtain energy from the heat absorbed from their surroundings. | Warm blooded animals use the energy produced during the process of heat generation in their body. |
| Cold blooded animals undergo either of the two resting phases: hibernation in winter or aestivation in summer. | Warm blooded animals do not undergo any resting phases. |
| Examples: Lizards, crocodiles, dragonflies, salamanders, etc | Examples: Birds, mammals, humans |
Ques: State the basis of the difference between cold blooded and warm blooded animals. [2 Marks]
Ans: Difference between cold blooded and warm blooded animals is done on the basis of Body Temperature, Source Of Heat, Regulation Of Heat, Metabolism, Resting Phases, Genomes, Proteins, Organ Systems, etc.
Ques: Why are cold blooded animals less prone to infections and diseases? [2 Marks]
Ans: Cold blooded animals are not able to produce their own body heat. They absorb heat from their surroundings to regulate their body temperature. Most infectious microorganisms require heat to grow. Since the amount of heat they require is not available in cold blooded animals it becomes difficult to infect them and cause diseases. In a way, the lesser body temperatures of cold blooded animals act as a resistance for the microbes. That is why cold blooded animals are less prone to infections and diseases.
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Ques: What are the two main types of Thermoregulation? [1 Mark]
Ans: The two main typesof Thermoregulation observed in animals are Endothermic Thermoregulation and Ectothermic Thermoregulation.
Ques: Differentiate between a diploblastic and a triploblastic animal. [2 Marks]
Ans: (i) Diploblastic: Animals in which the cells are arranged in two embryonic layers, external ectoderm and internal endoderm, are called diploblastic animals, e.g. Porifers, coelenterates and ctenophores.
(ii) Triploblastic: Those animals in which the developing embryo has a third germinal layer, mesoderm, in between the ectoderm and endoderm, are called triploblastic animals. E.g.: Platyhelminthes to Chordates.
Ques: Endoparasites are found inside the host body. Mention the special structure, possessed by these and which enables them to survive in those conditions. [2 Marks]
Ans: The life cycles of endoparasites are more complex because of their extreme specialisation. Their morphological and anatomical features are greatly simplified while emphasizing their reproductive potential.
In accordance with their lifestyle parasites evolve special adaptations such as:
- Loss of unnecessary sense organs.
- Loss of digestive system.
- High reproductive capacity.
- Presence of adhesive organs or suckers to cling on to the host.
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Ques: What is the relationship between germinal layers and the formation of the body cavity in the case of coelomate, acoelomates and pseudocoelomates? [2 Marks]Ans: The presence or absence of a cavity between the body wall and the gut wall is very important in classification. The body cavity, which is lined by mesoderm, is called coelom. Animals possessing coelom are called coelomates, e.g., annelids, mollusks, arthropods, echinoderms, hemichordates and chordates. In some animals, the body cavity is not lined by mesoderm, instead, the mesoderm is present as scattered pouches in between the ectoderm and endoderm. Such a body cavity is called pseudocoelom and the animals possessing them are called pseudocoelomates, e.g., aschelminthes. The animals in which the body cavity is absent are called acoelomates, e.g., Platyhelminthes
Ques: In which two categories, the organisms are divided on the basis of evolution? How do the two categories differ from each other? [CBSE 2014] [2 Marks]
Ans: On the basis of evolution, the organisms are divided into two categories :
- ‘Primitive’ or ‘lower’ organisms
- ‘Advanced’ or ‘higher’ organisms
Advanced organisms result from the gradual development of more complex organisms from the simpler ones /.e., primitive organisms.
Ques: Will advanced organisms be the same as complex organisms? Why? [2 Marks]
Ans: Yes, advanced organisms are the same as complex organisms because there is a possibility that complexity in design will increase over evolutionary time. Thus, it may not be wrong to say that ‘older’ (‘primitive’ or ‘lower’) organisms are simpler while ‘younger’ (‘advanced’ or ‘higher’) organisms are more complex.
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