Original hypothesis #288
Supplied working report; original verdicts not validated.
Review status: Needs review. This is an archival source note, not a passed proof.
hypothesis.md
# Original hypothesis #288 **Title:** Body Size Is a Heat Leak **Field:** — **Published in:** Volume XVI **Catalogue position:** 288 of 949 **Source slug:** `insulation-surface-volume` Quoted verbatim from the published catalogue. Nothing below this line has been edited. --- **title** Body Size Is a Heat Leak **claim** A body's heat loss per unit mass is set by its surface-to-volume ratio, so small animals in cold climates are limited by geometry before they are limited by insulation. **mechanism** Heat leaves through the surface while it is generated throughout the volume; as size falls, the ratio rises and no amount of fur fully compensates. **prediction** Cold-climate body size should track the ratio across taxa. **refute** Size limits tracking insulation quality would remove the geometric term.