What is lower critical temperature?
The lower critical temperature.
The lower critical temperature is the environment temperature below which physical mechanism such as insulation cannot maintain body temperature.
The lower critical temperatures are lower for arctic mammals (e.g. Eskimo dog, white fox) than for tropical mammals such as man. for instance, the lower critical temperature for arctic mammal is about -400C while that of man is 270C.
When the animal is cooled below the lower critical temperature, the basal metabolic rate increases to maintain the body temperature until the temperature reaches the lower lethal temperature below which the organism dies for failure to maintain body temperature.
Artic mammals have lower critical and lethal temperature due big layer of subcutaneous fats and thick fur for insulation; they have small extremities and their arteries and veins from extremities are close to each other to reduce heat loss.
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