Re: What animals can survive in both hot and cold climates?

The answer Christine, is the standard omnivore that resembles humans in their ability to either change their behaviour or modify the climate!

For example, if you take cockroaches, the various species can seek out warm areas like kitchens or cool places in hot countries and breed there. Rats are notorious for living in warm sewers underground, but are not quite so successful as cockroaches in the hottest countries. Humans as a species for you is a cheat, as we modify the environment in so many ways.

As you are at undergraduate level, perhaps you should think outside the box and work out which species live in temperate regions, yet still persist to some extent in both Arctic and equatorial climes. The Antarctic should be considered, as we have transported several small insects and others with our colonies there. The answer could include several mammals such as wolves and the cats, but you could hardly have many primates or reptiles.

One turtle stands out, as it modifies behaviour by swimming faster and more often in cool waters in order to maintain a temperature above sea temperature -- the leatherback. It's unique among turtles and possibly reptiles.

Further investigation could include animals that occur in cold places but survive, like Galapagos penguins, near the equator because of cold currents. Those organisms that live in hot forests or deserts can sometimes survive in cooler conditions. Plants are the best examples, but many animal species scrape through -- several migratory bird species (eg. some eagle species or swallows) can modify their heat regulation, and the camel seems well adjusted to quite cool conditions.

I hope you can add one or two favourites of your own to this small list. Remember, you are up against the whole concept of animal niches. This states that each species is adapted to one particular niche. Your answers need to be species that have no temperature requirements for larvae or hibernation/aestivation behaviours. Most species live only in one temperature regime because their niche requires it!