Poikilothermic Animals (Gr. Poikilos - Changeable, Terme - Heat)

Poikilothermic Animals

Poikilotherms are animals whose body temperature changes with the temperature of the environment. This is due to the peculiarities of their metabolism.

Poikilothermic animals do not have special thermoregulation mechanisms that would allow them to maintain a constant body temperature. Therefore, their body temperature is almost always at the level of ambient temperature.

Poikilothermic animals include fish, amphibians (frogs, toads, newts), reptiles (snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodiles), invertebrates (insects, spiders, worms, mollusks).

Since the body temperature of poikilothermic organisms directly depends on the ambient temperature, they are forced to migrate or hibernate when there are sudden changes in temperature. In addition, their metabolism is slow compared to warm-blooded animals.

Thus, poikilothermy is an important feature of the organism, allowing it to adapt to changes in the temperature conditions of its environment.