What does «poiquilotermo» mean in Spanish?
- An animal whose internal temperature varies considerably. It is the opposite of a homeotherm, an animal that maintains thermal homeostasis. Although the term can in principle be applied to all organisms, it is generally only applied to animals, and especially to vertebrates. Fluctuations are usually a consequence of variation in ambient temperature. Many terrestrial ectotherms are poikilotherms. However, some ectotherms remain in constant temperature environments to the point of being able to maintain a constant internal temperature (i.e., they are homeothermic). It is this distinction that often makes the term "poikilotherm" more useful than the vernacular term "cold-blooded," which is sometimes used to refer to ectotherms more generally.