Question
Question: Warm blooded animals have A. Body temperature similar to climatic temperature B. Body temperatur...
Warm blooded animals have
A. Body temperature similar to climatic temperature
B. Body temperature, which is always constant
C. Cold blood
D. None of the above.
Solution
Temperature is an important environmental factor that affects the enzyme kinetic, basal metabolic activities and the physiological functions of the organisms.
Complete answer:
Based on their tolerance to temperatures, animals are classified into two types- homeothermic animals and poikilothermic animals.
-Homeothermic animals- The animals that have their body temperatures constant are called warm blooded. They are also known as homoithermal or endothermic animals or simply homeotherms.
Some organisms are able to maintain homeostasis by behavioral means which ensures constant body temperature. All birds and mammals and a very few lower vertebrates and invertebrates species are indeed capable of such thermoregulation. For example, humans maintain a constant body temperature of 37 degrees centigrade.
-Poikilothermic animals- The animals whose body temperature fluctuates with the environment are called poikilotherms or cold blooded animals. They are also called exothermic animals or poikilotherms. Lower vertebrates and invertebrates are included in this category.
There are certain mammals including prototherians like Echidna, Ornithorhynchus, some marsupials and certain sloths that are not as efficient in the temperature regulation as birds and other mammals. They are regarded as intermediate between homeotherms and poikilotherms and are termed as heterotherms.
So warm-blooded animals have body temperatures which are always constant.
So, the correct answer is “Option A”.
Note: Living organisms need the appropriate machinery for carrying on metabolic activities which must be self-regulating so as to maintain a balanced state within an organism. The automatic process to maintain a constant internal environment is called homeostasis and the mechanisms designed to accomplish this task are known as the homeostatic mechanisms.