Endothermic Animal

Definition of Endothermic
An endotherm (Greek: endon = "within", therm = "heat") is an organism that
maintains its body at a metabolically favourable temperature, largely by the use of heat set
free by its internal bodily functions instead of relying almost purely on ambient heat. Such
internally generated heat is mainly an incidental product of the animal's routine metabolism,
but under conditions of excessive cold or low activity an endotherm might apply special
mechanisms adapted specifically to heat production. Examples include special-function
muscular exertion such as shivering, and uncoupled oxidative metabolism such as within
brown adipose tissue.
The term endotherm refers to animals (birds, mammals, some fishes and insects, and
even some plants) that are capable of generating sufficient amounts of heat energy to
maintain a high core temperature (e.g. 37-40 C in birds and mammals) by metabolic means
usually derived from aerobic activity of locomotor muscles in animals and by unique
biochemical mechanisms in plants (e.g., skunk cabbage). Endotherms differ from an
ectotherm because they typically have core temperatures above that of the surrounding
environment, whereas the core temperatures of ectotherms depend on external sources of heat
primarily from solar radiation.
Thermoregulatory Mechanisms in Endothermic Animals
Many endotherms have a larger number of mitochondria per cell than ectotherms.
This enables them to generate heat by increasing the rate at which they metabolize fats and
sugars. Accordingly, to sustain their higher metabolism, endothermic animals typically
require several times as much food as ectothermic animals do, and usually require a more
sustained supply of metabolic fuel.
In many endothermic animals, a controlled temporary state of hypothermia conserves
energy by permitting the body temperature to drop nearly to ambient levels. Such states may
be brief, regular circadian cycles called torpor, or they might occur in much longer, even
seasonal, cycles called hibernation. The body temperatures of many small birds (e.g.
hummingbirds) and small mammals (e.g. tenrecs) fall dramatically during daily inactivity,
such as nightly in diurnal animals or during the day in nocturnal animals, thus reducing the
energy cost of maintaining body temperature. Less drastic intermittent reduction in body
temperature also occurs in other, larger endotherms; for example human metabolism also
slows down during sleep, causing a drop in core temperature, commonly of the order of 1
degree Celsius. At other times of the day there may be other variations in temperature,
usually smaller, either endogenous or in response to external circumstances or vigorous
exertion, and either an increase or a drop.
The resting human body generates about two-thirds of its heat through metabolism
inside internal organs in the thorax and abdomen, as well as in the brain. The brain generates
about 16% of the total heat produced by the body.
Heat loss is a major threat to smaller creatures, as they have a larger ratio of surface
area to volume. Small warm-blooded animals have insulation in the form of fur or feathers.
Aquatic, warm-blooded animals, such as seals, generally have deep layers of blubber under
the skin and any pelage that they might have; both contribute to their insulation. Penguins
have both feathers and blubber; their feathers are scale-like and serve partly for insulation and
for streamlining. Endotherms that live in very cold circumstances or conditions predisposing
to heat loss, such as polar waters, tend to have specialised structures of blood vessels in their
extremities that act as heat exchangers. The veins are adjacent to the arteries full of warm
blood. Some of the arterial heat is conducted to the cold blood and recycled back into the
trunk. Birds, especially waders, have often have very well-developed heat exchange
mechanisms in their legs those in the legs of emperor penguins are part of the adaptations
that enable them to spend months on antarctic winter ice. In response to cold many warm-
blooded animals also reduce blood flow to the skin by vasoconstriction to reduce heat loss.
As a result, they blanch (become paler).
Adaptation Way of Endothermic and the Way to Keep Their Body Temperatures
Endothermic animals, birds, and mammals that regulate their core body temperature
at a relatively constant level are referred to as homeotherms (Greek homeo = similar). To
maintain a constant body temperature, a homeotherm must balance heat loss with heat
production. Heat loss is minimized in most mammals by having a thick coat of fur or thick
layer of subcutaneous (beneath the skin) fat, whereas heat loss is promoted by sweating,
panting, or by seeking shelter in cooler environments.
Endotherms are sometimes referred to as "warm-blooded," but this term is inaccurate
and misleading, as is the term "cold-blooded" for ectotherms. For example, the body
temperature of a small tropical fish in warm water or desert lizard on hot sand (both of which
are considered ectotherms) may have body temperatures higher than birds or mammals in the
same environment-largely because of the insulation provided by feathers and fur and
associated behavioral and physiological heat-dissipating mechanisms that prevent their body
temperatures from increasing above critical temperatures.
Many ectotherms are able to regulate their body temperature behaviorally, by moving
into and out of sunlight. Most endotherms are homeotherms, but by definition, some large
reptiles (crocodiles and some of their extinct relatives-dinosaurs), as well as some large fish
(tuna) and night-flying moths, are considered endotherms, because of the metabolic activity
of skeletal muscles that generate large amounts of heat. However, because these endotherms
lack a layer of insulation and do not have a thermostat that regulates either heat production or
heat dissipation, they are considered poikilotherms (Greek poikolos = changeable). Some
mammals and birds that at times have high and well-regulated body temperatures, but at other
times they are more like ectotherms and are referred to as heterotherms (Greek hetero =
different). Heterothermy is characteristic of small hibernating rodents and bats.
Thermoregulatory Mechanism of Penguin
The purpose of this post is to show the effort that takes to the specific type of penguin,
the Emperor Penguin, to maintain the body temperature within such a cold environment with
the perspective of metabolic energy loss for each degree of Celsius produced.
Penguins are flightless types of birds. They are living on Southern hemisphere,
especially on Antarctica. Penguins are group of aquatic birds and they belong to the family
Spheniscidae. There are currently 17 species of penguins; all penguin species are native to the
southern hemisphere. However, they are not found only in cold climates, but several species
are found in the temperate zone, and one species the Galapagos Penguin lives near the
equator. The Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes Forsteri) is the biggest of all penguins. It is 110
cm tall, and weight about 35 kg. Usually bigger species are locate in colder places, while
smaller species in temperate climates. Penguins are highly adopted for life in water but they
spend half of their life on land and other half in the water. The first penguin fossil to be
discovered was that of Palaeeudyptes Antarcticus, found in rocks that were around 25 million
years old, in New Zealand during the 19th century. Since then penguin fossils have been
found that date back around 50 million years, which show many of the typical features
associated with modern penguins. No penguin fossils have ever been found in the northern
hemisphere. The largest penguin that had ever been discovered was similar in size to a
grown man.
In some penguin species overlapping feathers can create a protective, thick surface as
proof to cold wind or water. That way feathers are provide waterproofing to penguins in cold
environments such as -2.2C in the Antarctic. That way created tufts are the basic trap for air
providing 80% to 84% of the thermal insulation for penguins. The same way that layer is
compressed during dives while it can be rearrange preening of the penguins. Also, the dark
plumage of a penguins dorsal surface absorbs heat from the sun, which increases body
temperature. However, some of the species are already biologically adjusted to improve the
body temperature while other penguins use different techniques in order to save additional
metabolic energy necessary to worm up. For instance another way of saving the heat is by
shivering in order to generate additional heat or simply huddle organized into groups.
However such an activity requires additional energetic loss.

Fig 1. Penguin
Emperor Penguins (Aptenodytes Forsteri) are well known for three main things. They
are the largest of their kind, and they present the only birds that breed in the middle of the
winter in Antarctic region as well as their unique characteristic to gain additional heat by
huddling. With regards to the source, there are few ways of gaining energetic by the Emperor
penguin. The processes that are developed through thermoregulation serve either by
providing benefits by contributing to the wind protection and exposure to

mild environment
temperatures, or in reduction of cold-exposed body surfaces

that result tin local and
eventually global adjustment of the temperature of penguins body.

Fig 2. The temperature of penguins body
For instance, the

metabolic rate of freely formed group of birds, small

group of 510
penguins (called loosely group) is reduced by 39% compared to metabolic rate of

aside
birds with 32% of these energetic benefits due to

wind protection. In addition, metabolic rate
of Emperor Penguins that are free to huddle, is on average

21% lower than metabolic rate of a
bird in small group. Exposure to

cold temperatures within the groups and thus, the reduction
in exposure to cold while birds are huddling, is estimated to represent

the number of 38% of
metabolic reduction. So we can see that through group formation and advantage of huddling,
Emperor Penguin reduce the loss of metabolic energy (necessary for heating) by 38%. That
energetic benefit is gained by reduction in cold-exposed body surfaces (ice, wind, iceberg,
and so on) and by creation of mild climate within a group.
To simplify, according to our source, for each additional degree of Celsius that the
Emperor Penguin maintains outside his body represents 7-17% reduction in energy loss.
These

processes, linked together, explain how huddling Emperor Penguins save

energy and
maintain a constant body temperature, ensuring

a successful incubation in the middle of the
austral winter.

References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endotherm
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Endotherm