A Burmese Python for example. This is just from a random thought today, what advantages or disadvantages would it be for such a snake to be warm-blooded, living in its natural environment?
I’m guessing it could be a lot more active, but also require a lot more sustenance for example.
I suppose if it was really of an evolutionary advantage it would have happened by now? (yes I realise evolution doesn’t have a direction or end goal)
I think you answered your own question - warm-bloodedness has both a benefit (being more active) and a cost (requiring more food).
The cold-blooded Burmese python is doing quite well in Florida, it seems, so little chance that it will change.
My WAG on the evolution of warm-bloodedness is that allowed early mammals to be more active at night, which was good for them because large reptiles dominated the day. Not sure about birds though.
My WAG is terrestrial endotherms tend to be rotund especially when they’re small (spheres retain heat better than cylinders), as would’ve been the case for the earliest common ancestors of birds and mammals. Moreover they developed heat retaining integument, which possibly allowed weasels to secondarily evolve their serpentine shape. Not to mention birds and mammals tend to be much smarter than snakes, enabling them to more effeciently procure resources.
I dunno… snakes have been pretty effective these past 160 million years or so. They’re good at being what they are, even if they seem “deficient” to you in some respects.
One problem being warm-blood would cause: the snakes that can sense infra-red wavelengths and use that sense to hunt can do so because they’re the same ambient temperature as the environment while their prey is warmer. If the snake was warm-blooded the “glow” from their own body might well render such a sense useless.
Being cold-blooded means snakes don’t have to eat nearly as much as a warm-blooded predator would, meaning they endure lean times better. For creatures that are ambush-hunters (lie in wait for prey to wander by) that can be a significant advantage.
I’ve re-read my OP and I didn’t say or imply they were deficient? They’ve been around for a lot longer than humans for a start, so they must be doing something right. I like snakes, they’re pretty nifty creatures.
I was simply asking what good would it do for a snake to be warm-blooded, if any.