Re: Troll warm-bloodedness

From: Sandy Petersen <sandyp_at_idgecko.idsoftware.com>
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 96 14:00:59 -0600


>are trolls cold-blooded or at least less warm-blooded than humans?

        I don't think this is a Gloranthan differentiation, just as it wasn't considered on Earth before metabolism became studied.

Anyway, are trolls warm-blooded?

        Yes, if by "warm-blooded" you mean "maintains body temperature via metabolism rather than behavior".

        No, if by "warm-blooded" you mean "maintains a high body temperature".

I think that a troll's breath is cold and reeking, that his hands are icy, and that his skin is normally clammy and repellent. But I don't think that he has to "bask" in the sun to raise his temperature, and I don't think he slows down in the cold. I also don't believe that he does the reverse -- I think that, like humans, he maintains a fairly constant activity rate regardless of the ambient temperature.

Sandy P.

HOMEOTHERMY
        A lizard's body temperature is normally quite high, and remains high and fairly constant throughout the day. However, he keeps it constant by basking, seeking shade (when too hot), etc. During the night, his temperature drops.

        A bumblebee maintains a temperature in his thorax that is 10-20 degrees warmer than the surrounding air on cold days. His abomen and head are allowed to cool down, because they don't need the extra heat, but the thorax does, or his wing muscles won't be able to lift him. By the way, that's why bumblebees are fuzzy -- it's insulation, just like it seems.

        A number of pelagic fish, including tuna, keep a high temperature in the core of their body, so that their muscles are more efficient for swimming. They are true warm-blooded creatures, as much so as any bird or mammal. On the other hand, certain mammals have only imperfect body temperature maintainence. Sloths, for instance, don't maintain a temperature significantly above the ambient. Some shrews go into hibernation torpor _every_night_!

Sandy P.


End of Glorantha Digest V2 #407


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