EVIDENCE WHICH SHOW THAT DINOSAURS WERE WARM-BLOODED ANIMALS.

Dinosaurs fossils were found about 230 million years ago. It was suggested that they were vertebrate animals. They dominate the terrestrial environment for 160 years before extinction. This left many Paleothropologist with suggestion that relate modern bird to be the direct descendent of Dinosaurs. (2)


Most of the species found on land was suggested to be warm-blooded this include birds and mammals.paleothropologist also suggest that because of the body and characteristics that the dinosaurs have, can regarded it as warm-blooded animals. This because most mammal or birds with large body, they have high metabolic rate that can regulate their body temperature.


In warm-blooded animal it was suggested that their body can retain heat for long period and also the chest cavity can hold huge hearts that increase metabolism. The bone structure that the dinosaurs have also suggested that it play a part on heat retation, the parallel rows of plates on dinosaurs has been interpreted as additional temperature –control mechanism. This plate is made of bone-like sponge consists of many blood vessels that can absorb heat from the environment or disperse excess heat. (1)


The characteristics that dinosaurs have for living also indicate warm blooded animal, its character of migrating, instead of hibernation during cold periods shows that they can adapt any environmental change they encounter. Which is impossible for cold blooded animals? (2)


The anatomical analyses of dinosaurs suggest that they were active animal, moving fast which increase endothermic metabolism rate. Also the diet they have also increase the metabolic rate, this because the herbivorous dinosaurs require hundreds kilos of vegetation a day to sustain their enormous bulk and that they had a unique endothermic metabolism fuelled by the heat given off by non-stop digestion. The metabolism rate was the insulator of heat in dinosaurs because they do not have feathers and hairy skin; its skin is consisting of hides with scaly and bony bumps that do not insulate. (3)


Some paleothropologist suggest that dinosaurs maybe in between the warm blooded or cold blooded animal. But with the DNA test of the bones it shows that dinosaurs are warm blooded. “This because warm blooded animal grow fast than cold blooded ,this was proven by scientist Jack Horner through the bones of a tiny baby dinosaurs found in hadrosaur nests. But as scientist has conflicts other suggest that the heart of herbivores dinosaurs consist of four chambers instead of three which is common to warm blooded animal.”(2)

Evidence studied can reveal that dinosaurs were warm blooded animal, this because they can maintain their body temperature by increasing the metabolic process through eating lots of vegetation that will need non stop digestion. And also by moving fast which increase the endothermic metabolism. It was suggested that dinosaurs have large body that can regulate temperature, because they have high metabolic rate.


In general warm blooded animal maintain their body temperature at their constant level, this regulation of metabolic rate helps them to adapt any environment as they can increase or reduce their depending the surrounding environment.

Reference:


1. Were Dinosaurs Warm-Blooded .1999. [Internet] [Cited 2006-May-09] Available from: http://www.dinoruss.com/de_4/5c51d90.htm


2. Wikipedia contributors. Dinosaurs [internet] Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia [cited 2006-May-09] Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaurs


3. Dinosaurs [internet] [cited 2006-May-09] Available from: http://teacher.scholastic.com/researchtools/articlearchives/dinos/evolut.htm,


Mr Elelwani Muanalo
NISL- Ecological Informatics Student
CSIR Pretoria
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Email: emuanalo@csir.co.za
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