Hot bodies
Question: Why is the body temperature of mammals 37 掳C? It seems
extraordinarily high when you consider that it is hotter than most environments
on Earth. What purpose does this serve?
Answer: There are important reasons why the body temperature of warm-blooded
or homeothermic animals (mammals and birds) is higher than most Earthly
environments.
A high body temperature speeds the metabolic rate which allows for faster
movement. Reptiles, which are cold-blooded or poikilothermic rather than
homeothermic, were unable to hunt or escape attack until their bodies warmed up,
usually by basking on a sunny rock. The reptile that…
