Cold-blooded animals

Are fish cold-blooded?

Fish-with a few exceptions we'll come to in a moment-are cold-blooded. Their internal temperature is determined by where they live and how warm or cold the water in their local ecosystem is. They can change their internal temperature by swimming closer to the surface to warm up or diving deeper to cool off.

However, scientists have recently discovered a new warm-blooded fish -the opah, or moonfish. The opah's internal temperature doesn't reach the heights of other warm-blood species like birds or mammals but warm blood does circulate around its body. Tuna and swordfish are also warm-blooded fish.

Are sharks cold-blooded?

Except for five shark species within the Lamnidae family-including great white sharks-all sharks are cold-blooded. For most shark species, their body temperature adjusts according to the environment in which they swim, meaning they become warmer when swimming in warm waters and colder when swimming in cool waters. Sharks have been known to use water currents-which are often warmer or cooler than the surrounding water-to raise or lower their body temperature. They also tend to swim slower in colder waters to preserve energy and migrate to hotter waters during winter to stay warm.

Sharks also have a unique organ called the ampullae of Lorenzini which helps them detect changes in the water temperature through electro-sensory organs on their heads. This allows them to predict if and when they need to change their environment to maintain their body temperature. These adaptations allow sharks to live everywhere, from Arctic regions to tropical reefs.

Are frogs cold-blooded?

Frogs are cold-blooded, as are all amphibians, including toads, newts, and salamanders. There are over 8,000 known species of amphibians, all of which are cold-blooded.

A unique species known as the wood frog is 'frozen alive' during the winter. Ice forms around their internal organs and settles between their skin and muscles, and their heart and breathing stop too. However, they release special chemicals that act like antifreeze within their bodies to prevent ice from forming inside their cells, allowing them to wake up again when the freeze passes.

Are lizards cold-blooded animals?

Being reptiles, almost all lizards are cold-blooded. This includes komodo dragons, monitor lizards, and geckos.

Lizards are famous for sunning themselves on rocks to increase their body temperature, absorbing both the heat from the sun and the warmth from the surface below. They also flatten their bodies to increase the surface area that is touching the rock and exposed to the sun. To cool down, they slip underground or into shady spots. Some lizards can alter the colour of their scales to reflect (rather than absorb) sunlight.

Are alligators cold-blooded?

Alligators are reptiles, which means that they too are cold-blooded. The same is true for their cousins, crocodiles.

Like other reptiles, alligators lie in the sun to warm themselves, which is why they're often found on riverbanks instead of in the water. They also dig heat-trapping holes in the mud to use as shelter and keep themselves warm.

Are honeybees cold-blooded animals?

All insects are cold-blooded, including honeybees. To keep their hives warm, bees seal cracks with propolis-a resin-like material made by bees from the buds of poplar and cone-bearing trees-and swarm together to generate body heat. In the summer, they cool the hive by collecting water, lining up around the hive entrance, and fanning the water into the hive where it evaporates and cools the air.

All other invertebrates are cold-blooded, too, including spiders, which form sun-facing webs in the summer and find shelter in warm nooks and cracks in the winter to stay warm.

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