Badgers and Their Environment: What Difference Does Surface Area to Volume Ratio Make on Badgers’ Internal Temperatures?

Abstract

Surface area and volume ratios affect the heat loss and gain in endotherms, specifically badgers. Our question is what badgers’ body shape and size (surface area to volume ratio) have to do with the temperatures the animals normally encounter. Previous work has failed to specifically address badgers and the different temperatures of their environments. We tested the relationship between surface area to volume ratios and temperature changes in relation to badgers. We used different sizes of cubes of clay to represent badgers, placing them in a bucket of ice or leaving them at room temperature, which would be the equivalent of exposing them to a cooler versus normal environment. This research will affect the implication of the fictional “Badger Barn” museum exhibit.