Warm-blooded fishes swim faster and farther than cold-blooded counterparts
Wednesday, May 6, 2015 - 16:20
in Biology & Nature
Marine scientists have long known that some species of fish possess a unique physiological characteristic -- a web of arteries and veins lying very close together -- that enables them to raise their internal temperatures higher than that of the water surrounding them. Now, a new study has demonstrated that species possessing the ability to warm their core -- a process called endothermy -- are able to swim two and a half times faster than those whose body temperature doesn't change.