Sixth Grade
Worksheets
What Are Cold Blooded Animals?
You may have heard it said that some animals are cold blooded. That doesn't mean they are unkind! It doesn't even mean that their blood is really cold. It means that their body temperature depends on the temperature outside. When it's hot outside, they are hot. When it's cold, they are cold.
Reptiles like snakes and lizards are this type of animal. Amphibians like frogs, toads, and salamanders are, too. Fish are also cold-blooded animals. Scientists like to use a different word for them. They like the word "ectothermic." All these animals have backbones, so they are also called vertebrates. Invertebrate animals are cold blooded, too.
In cold weather, these kinds of land animals stay under the ground. They sleep there until it warms up outside. Then they come out again. Fish move to find warmer water in winter and cooler water in summer. Frogs hide in the mud at the bottom of ponds or rivers to stay warm in winter.
