Difference Between Cold-blooded and Warm-

blooded Animals

Cold-blooded are the animals which cannot regulate their internal body temperature according
to the required level and they keep on changing their temperature along with the changes in
external environment temperature. Although Warm-blooded animals attempt to keep their
internal body temperature maintained and does not change the same along with changes in
external environment.

For example, if it is colder outside, the body of Warm-blooded animals try to adapt according to
the situation and create internal heat which provides warmth to the body and vice-versa. On the
other hand, Cold-blooded animals are unable to maintain this, and their body’s temperature
changes with that of change in temperature of the external environment.

On the basis of regulating one’s internal body temperature, animals are been grouped into these
two categories – Cold-blooded and Warm-blooded. The phenomenon of maintaining this
temperature is called thermal homeostasis. Hereby we will discuss the difference between these
two categories along with a brief summary on them.

Content: Cold blooded Vs Warm-blooded

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Conclusion

Comparison Chart
 Basis for
Cold-Blooded Warm-Blooded
Comparison
Warm-blooded animals maintains
Cold-blooded animals have fluctuating body
their thermal homeostasis and keep
temperature which follows the external
Meaning their body temperature consistent
temperature and fails to maintain thermal
irrespective of the external
homeostasis.
temperature.
Examples Fish, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates. Mammals and fish.
They require more amount of
They require less energy to maintain their
energy to regulate their body
Use of energy body temperature, hence they need less
temperature and so their need of
amount of food.
food is higher.
They grow resistivity against any
microorganisms invading their body to
Additional
cause disease, and if happens,they lower the They have strong immune system.
feature
effect of infection by declining the body's
temperature.
Hibernation- Resting stage at the time of
winters which may be for weeks or months.
Phase No such phase.
Aestivation- Resting stage at the time of
summer.
The temperature of the body is
Temperature The temperature of a body depends on the
independent of the outer
dependency temperature of the outer environment.
environment.
They cannot survive in any of the extreme They are easily adaptable to any
Survival
temperature, especially cold. environment and temperatures.
Metabolic Metabolic rates changes with the change in Environmental changes have no
rates environmental temperature. effect on metabolic rate.
Body Body temperature changes with the change Usually,temperature ranges from
temperature in environmental temperature. 35-40 degree Celsius.

Definition of Cold blooded

Cold blooded animals are those who are not able to regulate internal body temperature; rather
they depend on sunlight to get themselves warm. When outside environment is colder their
body tends to be cold, rather providing warmth and vice versa, but to survive at night especially
in colder regions, they need sunlight to gain radiation.

It is also seen that these animals remain inactive in cold or winter season. For examples, fishes
move to the deeper part of the water, where the temperature of the water is warmer compared to
the part where they were living, some species may die in winter season while bees produce heat
with the help of movements of wings.
Cold blooded animals need less amount of food as their requirement of energy is less for the
survival. They are more resistant to disease as they do not allow parasites and other harmful
microorganisms to grow and if they catch any disease, they lower their body temperature to get
rid of that disease. These kind of animals are not active in the cold, in spite they wait for the
suitable temperature to get themselves warm. Examples include fish, reptiles, amphibians,
spiders, frogs, crocodiles, bees, moths and termites.

There are two terms used which are Hibernation and Aestivation, the earlier one is the winter
resting period in warm places which may last for weeks or months, and the latter is resting
condition at summer time in shady or cool places, though it is not clear that Aestivation is the
process of cold-blooded or warm-blooded animals. They only mate and reproduce at the time
warmth.

As said above Cold-bloodedness are categorized as of three types:

 Ectothermy: Body temperature is maintained according to the temperature of the

external environment, which means if there is sunlight, they will maintain their
temperature accordingly and at night that is at the time of moonlight, their body will tend
to change their internal temperature again and becomes cool. Examples-reptiles.
 Poikilothermy: The temperature of which fluctuate with the variation in temperature of
the surrounding medium. Examples are frogs, turtles.
 Bradymetabolism: This type depends on the rate of metabolism, one’s body perform. An
example is insects.

Definition of Warm-blooded

Mitochondria, which is called ‘powerhouse of the cell‘ produces energy which is utilized by the
body to maintain its temperature. All the lifetime, consistent energy is produced to maintain the
body temperature which lies between 35-40°C.
Although it is said that if the temperature of the outside environment is extreme, the body may
change a little bit to maintain it or they release excessive heat by sweating or panting. Whale
does not need sweat glands as it lives in water, While Elephant sweat through ears. At the time of
extreme cold situations fur, shivering and sometimes birds migrate to the warmer region is the
scope to maintain the temperature.

There is a lot of stamina present in warm-blooded animals as energy produced by them is due to
high metabolism rate., Warm-blooded are active in the cold environment also. The immune
system is also strong of this kind of animals. As Warm-blooded are active in both the
environments, so can easily cope up anywhere.

There are three broad areas of Warm-blooded animals:

 Endothermy: Body maintains its temperature by an internal means like sweating,

shivering, etc. An example is a dog.
 Homeothermy: Body regulates its required internal temperature irrespective of the
external temperature, rather body tends to maintain the higher temperature than
surrounding. An example is humans.
 Tachymetabolism: High metabolism rate is a result of body temperature. An example is
birds.

Key Differences Between Cold-blooded and Warm-blooded

By regulation of internal body’s temperature, animals are categorized as Cold-blooded or Warm-
blooded animals, given below are key differences between them:

1. Animals like fish, invertebrates, amphibians, and reptiles come under Cold-blooded
animals whose body’s temperature fluctuates according to the changes in temperature of
an external environment. Cold-blooded animals require less amount of energy as
compare to Warm-blooded animals, as Warm-blooded produces heat by their own and
 regulate their consistent body temperature in any environment, whereas Cold-blooded
animals maintain their body temperature according to changes in an environment.
2. In Cold-Blooded animals rate of metabolism and temperature changes with a change in
the environment, but in Warm-Blooded these factors are independent of environmental
changes, rather temperature is maintained between 35-40°C.
3. Cold-Blooded animals undergo two kinds of phases which are Hibernation and
Aestivation, Hibernation is termed for a sleeping period in winter and Aestivation is
sleeping person in summer, though there is no such phase in Warm-Blooded.
4. Cold-Blooded animals defend themselves from an attack of any parasites,
microorganisms and other infection by lowering their body temperature at that particular
time, Warm-blooded have the stronger immune system.
5. So we can say that cold blooded animals, depends on the external temperature to regulate
their internal body temperature, and so these are unable to survive in any kind of extreme
temperature whether it is too hot or too cold. Warm-blooded are independent of these
factors.

Conclusion

Animals like fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals are categorized by thermal homeostasis,
which means maintenance of body’s internal temperature in two ways, by this they are
categorized as Cold-blooded or Warm- blooded animals.

Above we discuss the important features and difference between their way of living and
adaptation to changes in environment and temperature. Though both are the adaptation of the
environment as ultimately its a matter of survival.