Allen's rule
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Formulated by Joel Asaph Allen in 1877.
Proper noun[edit]
- An ecogeographic principle broadly stating that animals adapted to cold climates have relatively short limbs. Specifically, homeothermic animals in hot climates have low volume-to-surface ratios, and homeothermic animals in cold climates have high volume-to-surface ratios, due to thermal adaptation.