How Animals Survive Under -50 Degrees C Pretty intresting

[iGuest 3]

take a look at these animals. They all endure temperatures of -50ºC – and make it look easy.I will explain how they survive and who knows maybe we can learn some tips of them and preserve energy!

 

first up the penguins:

Penguins stay warm during storms by huddling in large groups. Each bird constantly circulates from the cold outer edges to the warm interior. Newborn chicks are carried around on their parents' feet for the first 50 days.

Very fasanating!

 

Walrus

A walrus uses its tusks to dig holes in the ice to fish and for gripping when getting out of the water. If its surroundings are cold, a walrus can reduce the blood supply to its skin, which gets lighter in colour.

I bet you didnt know that

 

Reundeer

Reindeer trap air pockets in their hair for warmth. Both male and female reindeer have antlers that they shed each year. Reindeer herds can be 500,000 strong - more than the population of Manchester.

Antlers shed!!!

 

Siberian Tiger

The endangered amur, or Siberian tiger, is the largest of all tigers. It grows a longer, thicker coat in winter to help it stay warm. A tiger's roar can be heard over a mile away.

 

Polar Bears

A polar bear's fur is transparent, which allows the sunlight to reach its black, heat-absorbent skin. Polar bears are so well insulated they don't show up on infrared cameras. All that can be seen is their breath

 

Well I could go on for ever but your proberly starting to get bord well i hoped you learned some stuff .

Edited December 4, 2005 by miCRoSCoPiC^eaRthLinG (see edit history)

[twitch 0]

Fish also stay warm because of a chemical in their blood - known to us as Antifreeze. This chemical, or more scientifically known as a protein in the DNA sequencing.They have used this protein, through splicing, to give plants Anti-freeze properties.Good list though.

[dhanesh1405241511 0]

Off the topic .. but isnt antifreeze the one that we use in cars ? It keeps the engines from not freezing and giving a quick start in winters. I am not the well versed with cars but i do know that they use this. In a place like gulf where heat is free, and so much that you could cook up an egg, i dont think anyone uses this. or is it an essential component in every car, regardless of the location.RegardsDhanesh.

[iGuest 3]

i didnt know fish could do that,i learn a new thing everyday.By the way dhanesh you said that you could cook a eg in a place like the golf does that mean you dont need a cokker:)

[dhanesh1405241511 0]

By the way dhanesh you said that you could cook a eg in a place like the golf does that mean you dont need a cokker:)

1064331978[/snapback]

LOL, i was being sercastic in a practical way. Its so freegin hot during some months that you literally burn when you get out of house. 42 - 44 Deg .. what do you expect

 

Regards

Dhanesh.

[jipman 0]

Best thing you can do to keep warm is to cover up your head, a very huge percentage of lost body heat came from the head. (except for the brain-dead people among us ).Anyway, I don't think there'll be much to learn from polar animals, they're built for that weather and we are suited for a 'normal' climate.Most wintercoats use some kinda of dunce that has air in it. Since air is one of the best isolators around so the coat works like a fur

[evion 0]

Anyway, I don't think there'll be much to learn from polar animals, they're built for that weather and we are suited for a 'normal' climate.

1064331991[/snapback]

Actually, humans are built to be able to adapt more quickly than most other animals the last i heard, which is apparently why you can find humans everywhere around the world and not all huddled up in the equator enjoying the sun all day long. The word "normal" is variable depending on where you live and your history of "living", for example: Inuits call below freezing temperatures in the north pole "normal".

 

About fish, Water is actually a poor conductor of heat (Well most of ya'll should know that). Water freezes from the top which creates a kind of blanket on the water. What i don't get though, is that through convection currents, water should be warmer at the higher levels (near the ice layer) but most fish stay at the bottom of the lake/pond when it gets cold. Any ideas?

[jipman 0]

Humans don't adapt as in body changing or anything that has something to do with dna or genetic stuff.Humans use external help in order to be able to live in any climate other than the 'standard' one. Like coats or any other sort of clothing.Try finding a Inuit who wears a tshirt and a pair of shorts, there won't because it'd be too cold for those kind of clothes. The fact that they call it 'normal' is because they have been living there since their birth thus it becomes their normal environment.Of course, if you start living in a gradually colder places you get used to the cold and the place. But unless after quite a number of generations there won't be a great great great great .... grand son of yours who has a different genetic property that makes them being able to stand cold instantly.

[evion 0]

Well yeah thats true, but if you'd compare the evolution of the cockroach to that of humans, you can observe a different growth pattern in them. Roaches evolve lesser than humans and probably because humans learned to use tools such as what you said - coats and hats to keep them warm, in turn reducing the amount of body hair required to keep warm. I think this is kinda getting off topic =P