Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-995426-20150704050346

I have a theory. :) I think at least the four turtles are all warm-blooded. Let's consider the evidence for the turtles in the 2K12 series: In Clash of the Mutanimals when Dr. Rockwell called Donatello "inferior cold-blooded", I think it was less to do with Donnie himself being cold-blooded, and more to do with turtles in general naturally being cold-blooded&mdash;and the four turtles were certainly born cold-blooded before they mutated.  Of course, Rockwell could have been teasing Donnie as a perceived intellectual rival. 
 * They have very few real heat sources in their lair. I mean, not that the sewer is all that cold, but it's not warm either&mdash;more like a man-made cave system, and caves tend to be naturally temperature-regulated compared to the surface weather.  The lair has two skylights where natural sunlight can filter through, but the turtles never stop and bask in the warmth, as cold-blooded reptiles frequently need to do.
 * They sleep on beds with sheets and blankets. Such bedding exists to help keep warm by trapping endothermic heat&mdash;body heat radiated from the inside as warm-blooded creatures do.  A blanket doesn't really work if the person under the blanket isn't producing actual heat.
 * Warm-blooded creatures shiver to generate heat when they're feeling cold. When cold-blooded creatures feel cold, they don't shiver&mdash;at most, they temporarily shut down to a minimum state of survival until the warmth comes back. [[Image:We'll just wash it off.gif]]
 * In cold weather, warm-blooded creatures exhale warm breath that quickly condenses into mist, as Leonardo is shown doing here. That requires an internal heat source a lot warmer than the ambient temperature.  If Leo were cold-blooded, his body temperature wouldn't be much higher than his surroundings. [[Image:Leonardo in snow and mud.gif]]
 * There's evidence that Raphael made special accommodations for Spike, who was cold-blooded. It took me a while, but I realized this object Spike is sitting on wasn't just a cushion or a pillow, but an electric heating mat (or "pig blanket") often used by owners of pet reptiles.  Ordinary turtles are ectothermic, and require steady sources of heat to maintain a healthy body temperature.  The mutant turtles may be able to self-regulate their body heat, but Spike can't.  This may also help explain why Spike was only sporadically seen around the lair&mdash;he had to spend most of his time near a reliable heat source. [[Image:Spike settles in.gif]] Though it makes me wonder if there was more than one heating pad around the lair.  Perhaps this cushion in the common area. [[Image:Spike looks up.gif]] Or maybe Raph had simply trusted Splinter and April to help keep Spike warm when he ran off to TCRI with his brothers.  But April was kidnapped and Splinter went after her, so Spike being in the common area alone for hours may not have been anticipated.  But I digress...