Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 09/24/2009 - 12:25

Why do some life forms grow so much larger in cold water? Ducky

Stacy Kim

Hi Ducky,This is a question that we don't know the answer to! We have some
ideas though.
1) It may be that animals in cold water need to be larger so that
their surface to volume ratio is smaller, which means that they can
conserve heat better.
2) Maybe animals in cold water can live so long that they grow to
really large sizes.
3) Animals that are larger can stand up higher off the seafloor and
get out of the boundary layer where currents are slowed by friction.
That means they can "smell" food from further away. In a food-poor
place like Antarctica, this would be a valuable adaptation for better
survival!
Which do you think it is?
Best, Stacy
On Sep 24, 2009, at 1:25 PM, webmaster@polartrec.com wrote: