Question 18.91
61. Smaller birds and mammals generally maintain higher body temperatures than do larger ones. Explain why you would expect this to be so. (Adapted from A. Zherdev, Horseflies and flying horses, Quantum, May–June 1994, 32–37, 59–60.)
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61.
A small warm-blooded animal has a large surface-area- to-volume ratio. Pound for pound, it loses heat more rapidly than a larger animal and hence must produce more heat per pound, resulting in a higher body temperature.