Re: Hot-blooded dinos

[Stan Friesen <swf@ElSegundoCA.ATTGIS.COM>]

 From: pwillis@ozemail.com.au (Paul Willis)
 > >-Pole-to-Pole: yes, the dinos lived in the polar zones, where at least the 
 > >wint
 > >er had  freezing temperatures. This is one of the most solid arguments 
 > >favourin
 > >g the hot-blooded theory
 > 
 > Becareful about using this type of logic in defence of homeothermy. For
 > example, one of the "near Polar" dinosaur faunas from southern Victoria
 > includes a labyrinthodont. So unless you wans to claim labyrinthodont
 > endothermy, it is more likely that paleo-polar climates were substancially
 > different from modern polar climates and could probably support large
 > ectotherms.

There is alao the possibility of hibernation.  This is particularly
likely in labyrinthodonts, which were "compact" enough to burrow
underground to hibernate.  I seriously doubt if a tyrannosaur could
manage to find a safe place to hibernate, and tyrannosaur specimens
*are* known from the North Slope of Alaska.

swf@elsegundoca.attgis.com              sarima@netcom.com

The peace of God be with you.