âº a gradual process of change and development. âº biology Evolution is the process by which the physical characteristics of types of creatures change over time, new types of creatures develop, and others disappear. (Definition of âevolutionâ from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary Â© Cambridge University Press)
You can remember the difference between endotherms and ectotherms if you remember that endo- means inside endo- = inside and ecto- means outside ecto- = outside, so endotherms generate their own heat from within, and ectotherms get their heat from the outside.
Warm-blooded creatures, like mammals and birds, try to keep the inside of their bodies at a constant temperature. They do this by generating their own heat when they are in a cooler environment, and by cooling themselves when they are in a hotter environment.