Endotherm
Endotherms are
animals that can control their
body temperature by the regulation of their
metabolic rate. Endotherms include
birds,
mammals, and
insects. The advantages of being endothermic is that
enzyme activity is increased and the ability to keep a constant body temperature. These animals can be active in cold temperatures. On the other hand, there can also be a disadvantage. Endotherms suffer because their rate of energy is at a very high cost of
thermoregulation during inactive states. There are two types of thermoregulation. The first type is behavorial thermoregulation and the second type is physiological morphological thermoregulation. Behavioral thermoregulation is behavior changes that alter body temperature (Perkins, pers. com.). Physiological morphological thermoregulation is physiology changes to regulate body temperature (Perkins, pers. com.).
References
Perkins,Marc. Personal Communication. 2003.