ECTOTHERM

[noun]

from the Greek εκτός (ektós) “outside” and θερμός (thermós) “hot” - a cold blooded organism; an organism in which internal physiological sources of heat are of relatively small or quite negligible importance in controlling body temperature. Such organisms (for example frogs and snakes) rely on environmental heat sources, which permits them to operate at very economical metabolic rates. Some such animals live in environments in which temperatures are practically constant, as is typical of regions of the abyssal ocean. In contrast where temperature varies so widely as to limit the physiological activities of other kinds of ectotherms, many species habitually seek out external sources of heat or shelter from heat; for example, many reptiles regulate their body temperature by basking in the sun, or seeking shade when necessary. In contrast to ectotherms, endotherms rely largely, even predominantly, on heat from internal metabolic processes.