Imagine you are an ectothermic poikilotherm ancestor of mammals, right at the cusp of evolving endothermic homeothermy.

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Imagine You Are An Ectothermic Poikilotherm Ancestor Of Mammals Right At The Cusp Of Evolving Endothermic Homeothermy 1 (673.09 KiB) Viewed 45 times

Imagine you are an ectothermic poikilotherm ancestor of mammals, right at the cusp of evolving endothermic homeothermy. Your body shape, posture and skin resemble those of a similarly-sized lizard - a sleek body with a long muscular tail, sprawling limbs, and lack of cutaneous insulation. If you had a choice (and natural selection does not offer such), would you evolve endothermy, or stay ectothermic? Why? Consider the benefits and costs of both metabolic and thermoregulatory strategies for such an animal in two different habitats: tropical forest (relatively stable warm and humid) and temperate savannah (seasonally warm or cool, but relatively dry).