How are substances with low specific heat helpful?

Question

I understand that substances with higher specific heat are helpful. An example of this is the high specific heat of water keeping oceans at a stable temperature. But what are some examples of low specific heat being essential to life? I'm willing to take any examples at this point...

Answer 1

The low specific heat of air means we lose less heat in respiration in frigid weather, since we unavoidably heat the air we breathe and lose much of that heat when we exhale.
Similarly, in cold water, the fat layer not only insulates but having a lower specific heat than lean body mass, requires less internal heat to reheat to body temperature after emerging from the water. The ref. describes an experiment on mice verifying the lower specific heat of body fat. Those animals that depend on the ocean for food could be said to depend on the lower specific heat to survive.