Muscle Efforts: The Physics Of Reptiles

442 Words2 Pages

Reptiles are cold-blooded, while mammals are warm-blooded. According to Lane "cold blooded animals can’t maintain its internal body temperature overnight "(life ascending, Nick lane, page 78) and any insulation provided (fur or blanket) to keep it warm fails since it cannot then absorb heat energy from the sun. It is safe to say that mammals can maintain its internal body temperature overnight.

A reptile can generate energy (as ATP) extremely fast, which enables it run really quick for few moments without breathing, and after this it takes a break to recover its energy , if not it is going to build up lactic acid and lead to cramping. This is because of the ratio of muscle fibers, capillaries and mitochondria it possesses. The body of a reptile (example lizard) has lots of tightly packed muscle fibers (to enable them run quickly).This leaves little space for the mitochondria (which provides energy, ATP) and capillaries (which is where exchange of air takes place). Lower energy is produced as the reptile runs. The muscle packed fibers ready to break down ATP to run is the reason Nick said reptiles are built for speed. …show more content…

Mammals have a higher metabolism rate compared to reptiles. Mammals also have high maximal metabolic rate. “The maximal metabolic rate is defined as the amount of oxygen consumed at full tilt, when we can push ourselves no further.”(Life ascending, Nick Lane, page 80) Aerobic capacity has a high role in determining stamina (most importantly, the rate of the mitochondria using the oxygen), along with other things such as genes,

More about Muscle Efforts: The Physics Of Reptiles

Open Document