>>1929It's probably something to do with being able to keep the torso warm enough so that the blood that the heart pumps through the rest of the body is war and that warms the rest.
The opposite can happen too, in cold winter whether some animals will go into a more lethargic state where the body does not pump blood through the body as much in order to save energy. If something then spooks the animal and it has to run blood circulation speeds up again and the cold blood from the extremities floods the system and can actually kill the animal through shock.