Definitions
- Describing animals that regulate their body temperature through external sources such as the sun or water. - Referring to cold-blooded animals that rely on their environment to maintain their body temperature. - Talking about animals that cannot generate their own body heat and depend on external sources for warmth.
- Describing animals that have a variable body temperature that fluctuates with their environment. - Referring to animals that cannot maintain a constant body temperature and experience changes in their metabolism based on external factors. - Talking about animals that are unable to regulate their internal temperature and instead rely on their surroundings.
List of Similarities
- 1Both words describe animals that rely on external sources to regulate their body temperature.
- 2Both words refer to animals that cannot generate their own body heat.
- 3Both words are used to describe animals that are not warm-blooded.
What is the difference?
- 1Definition: Ectothermic refers to animals that regulate their body temperature through external sources, while poikilothermic refers to animals that have a variable body temperature that fluctuates with their environment.
- 2Regulation: Ectothermic animals can regulate their body temperature to some extent, while poikilothermic animals cannot.
- 3Metabolism: Ectothermic animals have a lower metabolic rate than poikilothermic animals.
- 4Examples: Ectothermic animals include reptiles, amphibians, and fish, while poikilothermic animals include insects and some fish.
- 5Usage: Ectothermic is more commonly used than poikilothermic in scientific contexts.
Remember this!
Ectothermic and poikilothermic are synonyms that describe animals that rely on external sources to regulate their body temperature. However, the difference between them is that ectothermic refers to animals that regulate their body temperature through external sources, while poikilothermic refers to animals that have a variable body temperature that fluctuates with their environment.
