What is one of the fundamental needs for cold-blooded animals like snakes?

One of the fundamental needs for cold-blooded animals, such as snakes, is the regulation of body temperature. Unlike warm-blooded animals, which maintain a constant internal temperature regardless of the environment, cold-blooded animals rely on external sources of heat to regulate their body temperature. They achieve this through behaviors such as basking in the sun to warm up or seeking shade or burrowing into the ground to cool down. This regulation is crucial for their survival as it affects their metabolism, activity levels, and overall physiological processes. Proper temperature regulation allows snakes to be active during optimal times for feeding, mating, and avoiding predators.