We already know that most of the animals and birds are warm blooded – us included – while reptiles have cold blood. But what makes them this way and which way is it better to be?

First of all, there’s no such thing as cold or warm blooded animals. This is more of a simple term which refers to an animal’s ability of regulating its own body temperature. In other words, creatures like us benefit from a thermoregulation system that allows them to stay warm even when it’s cold outside. Meanwhile, if a reptile feels the need to increase its body temperature, it needs to move to a warm spot in order to increase its temperature, such as a rock or an area with warm air. Then again, when a reptile has to cool down, it needs to move to a cooler place.

In order to regulate their body temperature, mammals use sweat to cool down and shiver to warm up. The only possible disadvantage might be that mammals are unable to inherently regulate their body temperature. What’s interesting is that reptiles actually use their metabolism to attract heat and then cool down! The only thing the two have in common is that both the cold and warm blooded animals are hugging each other in order to get warm.