ANSWERS: 2
  • Amphibians have to return to the water in order to reproduce. Their eggs are not able to mature if they dry out. So, amphibians need a relatively moist environment in order to perpetuate their species. On the other hand, reptile eggs are fully self-contained. So, reptiles don't have to lay their eggs in water in order for them to survive. Thus, reptiles can live in much drier climates than amphibians can. One of the biggest advantages that mammals have over reptiles is the fact that we are exothermic. This means that we produce our own heat. Reptile rely on the environment to provide their heat. So, when temperatures drop, the reptiles become sluggish and even inactive. Since we produce our own heat, we mammals can be active at much cooler temperatures than reptiles can. This is probably how it is that our ancestors survived during the age of the dinosaurs. They were active at night when the dinosaurs were becoming less active. It is probably also why mammals survived the extinction event that killed off the dinosaurs. Our ancestors were able to survive in the colder temperatures that resulted from the meteor impact while the dinosaurs could not.
  • I don't think we can consider reptiles as disadvantaged for their being ecthothermic? It keeps their energy bugdets very low making them the most effiecient groups to stay for a long time without food. All ectothermic organisms be it reptiles, amphibians, fish or insects (basically anything that is not a bird or a mammal) are capable of controlling their body temperature through thermoregulation. In fact, some of them have higher body temperatures than some endotherms. Ectothermic animals regulate their body temperature by selecting an appropriate external environment while the endothermic ones rely on physiological mechanisms which can produce or dissipate heat to regulate their body temperature.

Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC

Answerbag | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy