Tactical Cooling of a Predator
In a world inhabited by small grassland herbivores, night-time is a very scary time indeed. With no moon or other substantial light-source to illuminate the plains, they are in great danger of becoming an easy meal for the planet's apex predator, the Stracnor: large nocturnal lion-like creatures with an amazingly soft step, allowing them to move within meters of their prey without detection.
Over many thousands of years, the Stracnor's prey has evolved long-range heat sensitive pits, similar to those on snakes, that serve as an early warning system "” able to detect the infrared radiation emitted by nearby creatures and giving it a chance to escape if being stalked.
But the Stracnor has a clever trick of its own, able to cool its exterior to an extent where its infrared signature matches that of the surrounding landscape perfectly, hence rendering it undetectable to the specialised senses of its prey "” leaving them utterly defenceless once more.
Is it possible for this "tactical cooling" to actually happen, and if so, how can it be achieved?
EDIT: Ambient temperatures fluctuate from around 20"“25ËšC during the day, down to 10"“15ËšC at night.
This post was sourced from https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/57254. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
1 answer
If it has a mane like a lion, this could be your heat shield.
If it flaired out like a large umbrella and was made of a thin membrane or possibly fur, then it would block its body heat from whatever prey is directly in front of it, while allowing the heat to radiate normally from its body.
Prey seeing it from the side would have no trouble knowing it was there, but if the predator is that careless then it'll go hungry and have to do better tomorrow.
Its face would be the only real problem, and it could just have a lot of thermal insulation to minimize its signature.
Give the attentive prey a sporting chance.
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