Image
Sun’s Out, Ectotherms Up
Arthropods, reptiles, amphibians, and fish are ectotherms (sometimes called “cold-blooded” animals), which rely on external heat to warm up. Ectotherms cannot internally regulate their body temperature, and they absorb heat—typically from the sun—to increase their temperature so they can find or catch food, flee predators, and reproduce. Heat is crucial energy for activity, since muscle movement depends on chemical reactions that occur quickly when an animal’s body is warm and more slowly when it is cold. Ectotherms usually start the day with a sunbathing session to provide energy for their morning activities. If the outside temperature is low, and there is not enough sun to warm their bodies, they slow down, or they become inactive until it gets warm again. [caption id="attachment_130227" align="aligncenter" width="1800"] TOASTY PERCHA klipspringer Oreotragus oreotragus takes advantage of a boulder warmed by the sun.[/caption] Birds and mammals are endotherms (sometimes called “warm-blooded” animals) that have a built-in system for maintaining a relatively constant body temperature. An endotherm’s energy-demanding metabolism requires these animals to consume more food—or to use strategies such as shivering—to produce sufficient body heat for activity when external temperatures are low. However, like ectotherms, many endotherms also bask in the sun to warm their bodies. [caption id="attachment_130228" align="aligncenter" width="1800"] A PLACE IN THE SUN
This gharial Gavialis gangeticus shows the typical crocodilian sunning pose.[/caption]
Everybody’s Got an Angle
Animals change their sunbathing position depending on their body temperature. They position themselves perpendicular to the sun to expose the largest possible body surface area and raise their internal temperature. They shift to a position that is parallel to the sun—or they find a shady spot that is completely out of the sun—if they want to cool down. They can also lower their body temperature by opening their mouth: a gaping mouth provides evaporative cooling. Some animals, such as horned lizards, expand their rib cage to maximize the surface area of their body that they expose to the sun. Others have skin that darkens when it is exposed to sunlight, to absorb more of the sun’s heat. Body size plays an important role in holding body heat, whether it is absorbed through sunbathing or produced by consuming food. The ability to hold heat is proportional to an animal’s mass—large animals stay warmer longer. Smaller endotherms may lose heat faster than they can absorb or produce it. Endotherms require more food to produce energy than ectotherms of the same size, because when food is scarce, not only are ectotherms able to keep their body temperature low and remain inactive; they can also slow their metabolism when temperatures drop, and they are likely to be less active when food is scarce to reserve energy. [caption id="attachment_130229" align="aligncenter" width="1800"] MORNING, SUNSHINERuppell’s vultures Gyps rueppellis spread their wings wide to catch some rays.[/caption]