You have probably heard that reptiles and amphibians are "cold-blooded." That is not quite right. On a warm afternoon, a lizard on a sunny rock can have blood warmer than yours. What is true is that their temperature changes with their surroundings. Changeable is not the same as cold. There is another problem with "cold-blooded." People use it to mean cruel or creepy, as in "a cold-blooded killer." Reptiles are neither of those things, and they need public support to survive, so it helps to use better words. Herps are ectotherms (EK-toe-therms). Their bodies make very little heat of their own, so they control their temperature by behavior: moving into sun or shade, onto warm rocks or into cool burrows.
This lesson is part of Certified Junior Herpetologist. Enrollment is self-paced, with no deadline to finish (about 30 hours).
