Warm-blooded

Warm-blooded is an archaic term used to describe an animal that keeps its core body temperature at a nearly constant level regardless of the temperature of the surrounding environment (that is, to maintain thermal homeostasis). This can involve not only the ability to generate heat, but also the ability to cool down.

Related Topics:
Animal - Core body temperature - Homeostasis - Heat

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Warm-blooded animals control their body temperature by regulating their metabolic rates (e.g. increasing their metabolic rate as the surrounding temperature begins to decrease).

Related Topics:
Body temperature - Metabolic rates

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Thanks to more thorough research in the field of animal physiology, scientists have come to realize that body temperature types do not easily fit a simple either/or scenario. Body temperature maintenance incorporates a wide range of different techniques that result in a body temperature spectrum, with the traditional ideals of warm blooded and cold blooded being at opposite extremes.

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Because of the generalness of the terms, as well as an increased understanding in this field, both warm blooded and cold blooded have mostly fallen out of favour. They have since been replaced with one, or more, of their variants (see: #Breaking down Warm Bloodedness).

Related Topics:
Cold blooded - #Breaking down Warm Bloodedness

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