How do ectothermic animals make use of water's temperature-stabilizing effects?

Answer 1

Warm blooded animals make their own heat, so as long as they are well fed, they can regulate their temperature well. Cold blooded animals don't do this (which is why they eat less and live longer), so their temperature could fluctuate with environmental changes. This would be bad for them (think of the optimum temperatures for enzymes etc.) so they need to regulate this. Water's high specific heat capacity means that it needs a lot of energy to warm up, or it needs to lose a lot of energy to cool down. Animals that have a lot of water in them need larger environmental temperature changes to effect their body temperature.

Answer 2

As a result, organisms (such as frogs) are dependent on environmental heat sources[1] and have relatively low metabolicrates.[2] For example, many reptiles regulate their body temperature by basking in the sun... Ectotherms are animals that warm their bodies by absorbing heat from their surroundings. In most ectotherms, the body temperature fluctuates with changes in the surrounding temperature

Answer 3

Ectothermic animals can use water's temperature-stabilizing effects by occupying aquatic environments that have stable temperatures. They can also regulate their body temperature by moving between water and land to thermoregulate. Additionally, some ectothermic animals may adjust their behavior based on water temperature to maintain optimal physiological functions.