A Brief Introduction to Methods for Describing Body Temperature in Endotherms

Researchers commonly measure body, orifice, or skin temperature (collectively referred to as body temperature [T_b] herein) of endothermic animals in biomedical, physiological, evolutionary, and ecological studies. However, comparing T_b among species or placing a single study in context is challenging because there is no single, standard method to describe and synthesize T_b data of endotherms. A variety of metrics are available, and each has strengths and weaknesses appropriate for answering different types of questions. Importantly, choosing the wrong metric to address the question posed can lead to misinterpretations and misleading presentation of T_b data. Here I review standard metrics used to describe central tendencies and variation in T_b of endothermic species, focusing on important strengths and weaknesses and suggested questions to be addressed using each metric. One of the most common mistakes in analyzing T_b data is mismatching the analytical metric and the question being asked, so, ultimately, individual researchers need to determine which is most appropriate for addressing their question based on the implications of using each metric.