What Animals are Endothermic?

The term endothermic is used to describe animals capable of maintaining a constant body temperature in spite of whatever environmental condition or habitat they find themselves in. Endothermic abilities are due to an animal’s internal functions. Warm-blooded is used to refer to endothermic animals, although endothermic capabilities are just one of the characteristics of warm-blooded animals.

Endothermic in Latin means “inside temperature.” The opposite of endothermic is ectothermic, the colloquial term for which is cold-blooded. Cold-blooded animals like most reptiles, such as snakes and lizards, tend to hide in extremely cold weather. Endothermic animals do not need to do so because their body temperature is not largely or immediately affected by external conditions.

Birds

Majority of birds are purely endothermic. There are a number of small species, however, that have displayed poikilothermic characteristics. This means that the bird’s internal temperature varies greatly as compared to a purely endothermic bird, whose body temperature remains constant. If you see a bird flying out and about in a cold night, then it is definitely endothermic in nature.

Mammals

Majority of mammals are purely endothermic as well. This may come as a surprise to many, but, like birds, there are also exceptions to the rule. Certain mammal species have also displayed poikilothermic characteristics. One example is the squirrel, which is a mammal that hibernates in colder months of the year. Nevertheless, most mammals you are acquainted with are likely to be purely endotherms. These include cats, dogs, most kinds of monkeys and lions.

Mammals, such as whales and bats, are not pure endotherms mostly because of special circumstances pertaining to the way they live. Bats, for example, are a special kind of mammal because of their flying ability and resemblance to birds. Whales, on the other hand, are one of the few aquatic mammals. Whales and other cetaceans, such as porpoises and dolphins, are classified as endotherms as well. Other aquatic mammals that are also endotherms include walruses and sirenians, which include dugongs and manatees.

To know which other animals are endothermic, one must determine the internal methods that an animal is using to maintain its body temperature. If it is not capable of doing so in the first place, then there is a good chance that it is ectothermic or something else. Internal methods used by endotherms to control body temperature include increasing their metabolism, muscle shivering, and sweating.