Warm-blooded animals are ... Examples of warm-blooded animals

It would seem that it can be simpler than to define the concept that we already know from the school bench. Let's try.

So, warm-blooded animals are those representatives of the fauna with warm blood. So what? Agree, it turned out some kind of tautology, which does not explain this scientific term.

I'll have to go into biology.

Which animals are warm-blooded? We give a scientific definition of the concept

In simple and understandable language, such animals are called those whose bodies produce heat by burning food. By the way, such energy is produced also due to physical activity and trembling of animals.

Scientists have determined that warm-blooded animals are exclusively mammals and birds. Amphibians and reptiles due to certain physiological characteristics to them can not be attributed.

It should be noted that, despite the change in the seasons, the onset of severe colds or exhausting heat, the body temperature of this category never changes. Why does this happen?

The fact is that basically all warm-blooded people have so-called brown fat, which is located under the skin in the neck, back and chest. Its layer, as well as fur, wool and feathers help maintain and preserve heat.

The first warm-blooded on the planet

So, we have already found out that warm-blooded animals are birds and mammals. But what were their ancestors?

Experts believe that the first species appeared in the Cenozoic era. In those days, representatives of the fauna began to eat not only insects, but also tried vegetable food.

Over time, animals that continued to feed on insects gradually shifted to larger food. That is why their descendants were born each time more and more adapted to this method of nutrition. For example, claws and fangs began to develop. Modern scientists claim that from such living beings later bears, wolves, tigers and lions occurred.

The same mammals, who eagerly fed on vegetation, received stable and hardy walking hooves and stronger teeth in the process of development, so that it would be more convenient to chew the plants. From such animals later, rhinoceroses, elephants, horses and cows. Although there were some warm-blooded people who had to completely replace their diet. They adapted to eat only fruits and began to dwell in trees. Thus the ancestors of the first species of monkeys appeared.

Ways to cool some animals

Even in latitudes with a temperate climate, from time to time there are very arid days, when the heat does not allow us to move freely around the city, even to us, people. And after all, we agree, we can quite hide from the unfavorable weather in air-conditioned rooms or just where the walls are so thick that the sun is not able to warm the buildings through. And how are animals saved in such cases?

Mother Nature herself took care of our lesser brothers. For example, each of us noticed that the dog, if it is hot, puts out the tongue from the mouth. Why? The fact is that in this way the liquid evaporates and reduces the temperature of the body. And birds have a special breathing system equipped with pulmonary sacs. The purpose of such a complex system is not only gas exchange and breathing, but also the release of internal organs from heat in the process of blowing.

In general, it should be noted that if any organisms on the planet can still surprise with their adaptability to the environment, they are warm-blooded animals. Examples can be given indefinitely.

A bird that never freezes

Probably, this inhabitant of the harsh southern latitudes had to hear each of us. Even children adore cartoons about funny and mischievous penguins.

As is known, most of these birds live in Antarctica, in a fairly cold environment.

Being on land and in water, of course, cold, these birds do not feel any discomfort at all. How do they do it? The thing is that they have a layer of fat that covers feathers. It helps to keep heat and has a special water-repellent property.

In addition, very closely located hard feathers help them retain heat. They are so closely adjacent to each other that no wind prevents the birds from freezing.

But what about the paws, because they are not covered with feathers? But here the problem is solved: penguin's feet have very few vessels and nerves, so they are not threatened with frostbite.

Those. In response to the suggestion to end the phrase "Warm blooded animals are ..." it is quite possible to call not only the cats, dogs, horses and other animals that we often meet in towns and villages, but also penguins - the inhabitants of the coldest places on the planet.

Why does the bear sleep in the winter?

Of course, with the cold and cold you can fight in completely different ways. Someone in the process of evolution received warm wool or feathers, generously greased, and there are those who chose a fairly simple way to survive the cold. Which one? Hibernate! Perhaps even children can list which animals (warm-blooded) peacefully dream while they are snowing outside their shelter, a blizzard dominates, and the thermometer's column rarely rises above zero degrees. Well, of course, hedgehogs, chipmunks, badgers, bears and many others. But today it will be just about the clumsy.

Bears usually feed on vegetarian food, and in the winter, it certainly can not be found. Thanks to the fat accumulated during the warm season, these animals hide in their lairs and hibernate there, feeding on their reserves. So there is no need to go outside.

During hibernation, bears do not lead a mobile way of life, their activity decreases to zero. The body temperature drops to the temperature of the surrounding air, breathing slows down, the heart starts to beat not so actively. These processes allow you not to waste energy, they enable you to safely survive the bear all winter long. Reserves are usually sufficient until the onset of the first spring days.

An exception

As we noted above, all mammals and birds are warm-blooded animals. But there is one animal that literally abandoned this way of life and became cold-blooded. This animal is called a naked digger. It is actually amazing and unique, because it combines the opposite physiological characteristics.

Purely theoretically naked digger can be compared with a rat or hamster, but on his body can count no more than a hundred hairs, so he is called naked. A navvy, obviously, because he builds houses and lives underground.

By the way, under the ground is a rather high concentration of carbon dioxide and a considerable amount of water. All this in combination turns into carbonic acid, from which any animal will experience an unpleasant sensation.

But even here the excavator shines with its uniqueness. It would seem that, because of the lack of fur, this animal is very vulnerable, but its skin does not react to acid burns, but all because the digger simply got rid of sensitive nerve endings.