ectothermic
1
9.1
- adjective
- /ˌɛktoʊˈθɜrmɪk/
- Specialized
:
ectotérmico
- For example, a turtle's body temperature increases as its basking time increases (the reason for this is not known), but true ectothermic thermoregulation implies maintenance of a body temperature at a level that enables the animal to perform necessary functions, such as eating, digesting, and breeding.
- cold-blooded (ectothermic)
Examples
-
In cold water, ectothermic animals such as fish have reduced swimming abilities (Brown RS et al. 2011), their energy reserves continuously deplete, and their physical condition declines (Cunjak 1996).
Academic text (2013) -
Okay, we know this thing is part reptilian, probably ectothermic, so it can't handle extremes of hot and cold.
-
Arguments about dinosaur metabolism are usually based on the physiology of tiny ectothermic lizards or endothermic mice.
Academic text (1991) -
Many of our vertebrate contemporaries (including most snakes, lizards, crocodilians, and turtles), however, are not given more than a passing glance by members of our species because they are ectothermic, or "cold-blooded."
Academic text (1992) -
Reptiles are ectothermic, relying on their environment to control their body temperature.
-
In summer, ectothermic animals like frogs bask in the sun to warm up.
-
Fish are often ectothermic, meaning their body temperature matches the water around them.
Synonyms
5
3.7
An animal whose body temperature changes with the air or water temperature
Body temperature changes with the air or water around the animal
Having a body temperature that changes with the environment, like cold-blooded animals
An animal, often a reptile or fish, whose body temperature changes with the surroundings
How Warm-Blooded
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word ectothermic comes from the Greek parts ecto- 'outside' and -thermic 'heat'. So an ectothermic animal uses heat from outside like the sun or warm water instead of making its own heat, which is why its body temperature changes with the surroundings.