REXBURG, Idaho - Bessy the Burmese python is recovering in an animal shelter after spending two weeks dodging searchers and an infrared camera in a 57,000-square-foot apartment complex in this southeastern Idaho town.

The 8-foot-snake's hiding spot was found Tuesday by another "snake" — a 100-foot-long device with a camera on the end normally used to locate plumbing problems in hard-to-reach places.

Questions:

1) I though snakes were cold blooded?

2) What is the emissivity setting for snake skin?

Terry O

1) You are right, they are.
2) I do not know. I guess a bit less than humans.

But here the term "cold" is an biology term not a physics term.

In physics, we say the "cold" does not exist, there is only heat or absence of heat. The body of a live snake does emits heat. I do not know at what level to be able to answer the second question.

In biology, "hot blood" refers to the ability of mammals (and birds) to maintain (to certain point) the internal body temperature and activity level regardless outside temperature.

On the contrary, "cold blood" refers to reptiles, anphibians, insects, and other animals that their internal body temperature is more directly influenced by the ambient temperature. When a cold blooded creature are in a low temperature environment its internal body temperature decreases, has less energy to move or do anything, get sleepy and eventually can die.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Eugene,

I was right in my guess. According to http://www.szgdocent.org/resource/rr/c-cold.htm , snakes bodies temperatures ranges 25°C to 32°C.

quote:

Originally posted by Terrence O'Hanlon:
2) What is the emissivity setting for snake skin?
Terry O

Is internal body temperature (snakes: 25 to 32 degrees C, humans: +/- 37 degrees C) equal to the emissivity setting?

Or a formula or converting factor is required to obtain the setting?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Eugene,

What does the camera reads...
* Surface (skin) temperature?
* Internal temperature (body temperature: human =37 degrees, snakes = 25 degrees)?