Dinosaurs Were Warm-Blooded?
Dinosaurs are often viewed as cold-blooded prehistoric predators, however, new research shows that they were likely warm-blooded.
This is a very different conclusion than a widely publicized study published in 2014, which concluded that dinosaurs couldn’t make up their minds. Meaning, they were neither ectothermic nor endothermic - terms popularly simplified as “cold-blooded” and “warm-blooded,” respectively - but rather they occupied an intermediate category.
But now, according to paleontologist Michael D'Emic from Stony Brook University, who re-analyzed this popular study, dinosaur blood was indeed one-sided.
“The study that I re-analyzed was remarkable for its breadth - the authors compiled an unprecedented dataset on growth and metabolism from studies of hundreds of living animals,” D'Emic said in a statement. “Upon re-analysis, it was apparent that dinosaurs weren’t just somewhat like living mammals in their physiology - they fit right within our understanding of what it means to be a ‘warm-blooded’ mammal,” he added.
The results were published in the journal Science.
(Photo : Pixabay)