Re: Turbinates as endothermy criterion??

["Nicholas J. Pharris" <pharrinj@PLU.edu>]

On Mon, 26 Feb 1996, Thomas Duffy wrote:

> "Ruben was interestested in the front of the snout.
>  He saw--or rather, didn't see--just what he expected.  Dino
> lacked respiratory turbinates, tiny bones in the nasal passages
> of warm-blooded animals that limit water loss during breathing.

I'd like to know more about these turbinates, what exactly they do, and 
how Ruben can prove that warm-blooded animals cannot possibly live 
without them.  Might the situation be complicated by the dinosaurs' 
air-sac system?


>  This particular dinosaur, known technically as Ornithomimus,

It would take an *awful* lot of convincing to get me to believe that 
_Ornithomimus_, in particular, was cold-blooded.


> is one of a handful of dinosaur groups that Ruben has examined.
> All lack the special bones.

"a handful?"  How many dinosaurs constitute a handful?  Does a "handful" 
really constitute a definitive study?


>  'We can make a real strong argument that all the meat-eating
> dinosaurs were cold-blooded,' he said."

There's a leap of faith if I ever saw one.


> I know that isn't much info, but that's really all it says
> about his actual research or evidence.  Has anybody else heard
> anything about this turbinate issue, or know anything about it,
> or even have an opinion?  Any info would be appreciated...

Well, I *do* know (or, at least, I have heard) that _Nanotyrannus_ has 
some sort of turbinal structure in its nose, and that _Euoplocephalus_ 
and _Drinker_, at least, are said to as well.


> Thanks,
> Thomas Duffy
> thomasd@clark.edu


Nick Pharris
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
(206)535-8204
PharriNJ@PLU.edu

"The secret of the universe is &^*!&$~%**&%&^^^^^^^ NO CARRIER"