Numerical methods are used to investigate the transient heat transfer from an oblate/prolate spheroid to a steady stream of viscous, incompressible fluid. The temperature of the spheroid is considered spatially uniform but not constant in time. The momentum and heat balance equations were solved numerically in oblate/prolate spheroidal coordinates system. The solutions span the parameter ranges 10 <= Re <= 100 (for the oblate spheroid), 10 <= Re <= 200 (for the prolate spheroid), Pr = 1, 10 and axis ratio epsilon, 0.1 <= epsilon <= 0.9. The computations were focused on the influence of the axis ratio and volume heat capacity ratio on the heat transfer rate. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.