Crocodilian thermoregulation

Crocodilian thermoregulation is the behavioral and physiological regulation of body temperature in crocodiles, alligators, caimans, and gharials. It relies chiefly on moving between sun, shade, and water rather than maintaining a constant internal temperature.

Basking: Exposure to direct sunlight or another heat source to raise body temperature. Crocodilians bask to warm after cool periods, then adjust exposure as they heat up.
Crocodilian basking behavior: The sunning and positioning behaviors crocodilians use to gain heat. Basking sites and postures are direct, observable parts of temperature regulation.
Ectothermy: A physiological condition in which environmental heat supplies most of an animal's body heat. Crocodilians depend mainly on external heat rather than sustained metabolic heat production.
Endothermy: A physiological condition in which metabolic heat supplies most of an animal's body heat. Unlike endotherms, crocodilians generally use environmental heat to warm their bodies.
Behavioral thermoregulation: Regulation of body temperature through actions that alter heat gain or loss. Crocodilian temperature control is a prominent example of this behavioral strategy.
Crocodilian locomotion: The ways crocodilians move on land and through water. Movement between land and water lets crocodilians select different thermal environments.
Thermoregulation: The processes by which an organism regulates its internal temperature. Crocodilian thermoregulation is one distinctive form of temperature control.
Bird thermoregulation: The behavioral and physiological processes birds use to regulate body temperature. Birds share reptilian ancestry with crocodilians but typically sustain high temperatures through metabolism.
Thermal inertia: Resistance to temperature change caused by an object's heat capacity and rate of heat exchange. Large bodies warm and cool slowly, extending the effects of basking or immersion.
Crocodilian digestion: The breakdown and absorption of food in crocodilians. Body temperature influences digestive rates and the time food remains in the gut.

Linked from 11 pages