Kleptothermy
Encyclopedia
Kleptothermy is any form of thermoregulation
by which an animal shares in the metabolic thermogenesis
of another animal. It may or may not be reciprocal, and occurs in both endotherm
s and ectotherm
s. Its most common form is huddling.
s and snake
s, such as boa constrictor
s and Tiger snakes, increase their effective mass by clustering tightly together. This allows the individuals to increase their thermal inertia (as with gigantothermy
) and so reduce heat
loss. It is also widespread amongst gregarious endotherms such as bat
s and birds (such as the mousebird
and emperor penguin
) where it allows the sharing of body heat (particularly amongst juveniles).
In at least one case this is not reciprocal, and might be accurately described as heat-stealing. Some male Canadian red sided garter snake
s engage in female mimicry by producing fake pheromone
s after emerging from hibernation
. This causes rival males to cover them in a mistaken attempt to mate, and so transfer heat to them. This allows those males that mimic females to become more quickly revitalized after hibernation (which depends upon raising their body temperature), giving them an advantage in their own attempts to mate.
s and burrow
s. For example, mammal burrows are used by gecko
s and seabird burrows by Australian tiger snakes and New Zealand tuatara
Termite
s create in their mounds high and regulated temperatures and this is exploited by some species of lizards, snakes and crocodiles.
Research has shown such kleptothermy can be advantageous: the Blue-lipped sea krait, when it occupies a burrow of a pair of Wedge-tailed Shearwater
incubating their chick, raises its body temperature to 37.5 °C (99.5 °F) compared to 31.7 °C (89.1 °F) when in other habitats. Its body temperature is also more stable. Burrows without birds did not provide this heat being only 28 °C (82.4 °F) .
Thermoregulation
Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different...
by which an animal shares in the metabolic thermogenesis
Thermogenesis
Thermogenesis is the process of heat production in organisms. It occurs mostly in warm-blooded animals, but a few species of thermogenic plants exist.-Types:...
of another animal. It may or may not be reciprocal, and occurs in both endotherm
Endotherm
An endotherm is an organism that produces heat through internal means, such as muscle shivering or increasing its metabolism...
s and ectotherm
Ectotherm
An ectotherm, from the Greek εκτός "outside" and θερμός "hot", refers to organisms that control body temperature through external means. As a result, organisms are dependent on environmental heat sources and have relatively low metabolic rates. For example, many reptiles regulate their body...
s. Its most common form is huddling.
Huddling
Some species of ectotherms including lizardLizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s and snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, such as boa constrictor
Boa constrictor
The Boa constrictor is a large, heavy-bodied species of snake. It is a member of the family Boidae found in North, Central, and South America, as well as some islands in the Caribbean. A staple of private collections and public displays, its color pattern is highly variable yet distinctive...
s and Tiger snakes, increase their effective mass by clustering tightly together. This allows the individuals to increase their thermal inertia (as with gigantothermy
Gigantothermy
Gigantothermy is a phenomenon with significance in biology and paleontology, whereby large, bulky ectothermic animals are more easily able to maintain a constant, relatively high body temperature than smaller animals by virtue of their smaller surface area to volume ratio...
) and so reduce heat
Heat
In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...
loss. It is also widespread amongst gregarious endotherms such as bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s and birds (such as the mousebird
Mousebird
The mousebirds are a small group of birds which have no known close affinities to other groups, though they and the parrots and cockatoos may be closer to each other than to other birds. The mousebirds are therefore given order status as Coliiformes...
and emperor penguin
Emperor Penguin
The Emperor Penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching in height and weighing anywhere from . The dorsal side and head are black and sharply delineated from the white belly,...
) where it allows the sharing of body heat (particularly amongst juveniles).
In at least one case this is not reciprocal, and might be accurately described as heat-stealing. Some male Canadian red sided garter snake
Garter snake
The Garter snake is a Colubrid snake genus common across North America, ranging from Alaska and Canada to Central America. It is the single most widely distributed genus of reptile in North America. The garter snake is also the Massachusettsstate reptile.There is no real consensus on the...
s engage in female mimicry by producing fake pheromone
Pheromone
A pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual...
s after emerging from hibernation
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
. This causes rival males to cover them in a mistaken attempt to mate, and so transfer heat to them. This allows those males that mimic females to become more quickly revitalized after hibernation (which depends upon raising their body temperature), giving them an advantage in their own attempts to mate.
Habitat sharing
Many ectotherms exploit the heat produced by endotherms by sharing their nestNest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
s and burrow
Burrow
A burrow is a hole or tunnel dug into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of shelter against predation and exposure to the elements, so the burrowing way of life is quite popular among the...
s. For example, mammal burrows are used by gecko
Gecko
Geckos are lizards belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 cm to 60 cm....
s and seabird burrows by Australian tiger snakes and New Zealand tuatara
Tuatara
The tuatara is a reptile endemic to New Zealand which, though it resembles most lizards, is actually part of a distinct lineage, order Sphenodontia. The two species of tuatara are the only surviving members of its order, which flourished around 200 million years ago. Their most recent common...
Termite
Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
s create in their mounds high and regulated temperatures and this is exploited by some species of lizards, snakes and crocodiles.
Research has shown such kleptothermy can be advantageous: the Blue-lipped sea krait, when it occupies a burrow of a pair of Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
The Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Puffinus pacificus is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It is one of the shearwater species that is sometimes referred to as a Muttonbird, like the Sooty Shearwater of New Zealand and the Short-tailed Shearwater of Australia...
incubating their chick, raises its body temperature to 37.5 °C (99.5 °F) compared to 31.7 °C (89.1 °F) when in other habitats. Its body temperature is also more stable. Burrows without birds did not provide this heat being only 28 °C (82.4 °F) .