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Sea Turtle Glossary

Please report errors to glossary@seaturtle.org.

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Ectotherm

Variations: cold-blooded, poikilotherm

An animal whose body temperature varies with the temperature of its surroundings. All sea turtles are ectotherms, although there is evidence that leatherbacks can have higher internal temperatures than the environment

See also: endotherm

WWW References:

• Dinosaur body temperature: The occurrence of endothermy and ectothermy

Citations:

• James, M. C. and Mrosovsky, N. 2004. Body temperatures of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in temperate waters off Nova Scotia, Canada. - Canadian Journal of Zoology 82: 1302-1306.
• Eckert, S. A. 2002. Distribution of juvenile leatherback sea turtle Dermochelys coriacea sightings. - Marine Ecology Progress Series 230: 289-293.

Entered by: Brendan Godley
Modified by: Matthew Godfrey
Entered: 2004-12-13 16:59:31
Last modified: 2005-05-05 19:42:28