Dinosaur Were Endotherms

[luisrey@ndirect.co.uk (luisrey)]

  An animal the size of a large sauropod, shaped like an elephant or
>a rhinoceros, is an impossibility.  Any animal of that size with an erect
>posture is an endotherm, and any terrestrial endotherm that large must have
>an elongate body shape.

I have defended this all my life. And I'd go an step further: any erect
posture, compulsory biped should be an endotherm.It implies sustained
activity.

Forget about turbinates. This is the only real, living proof (there are NO
compulsory cold-blooded fully erect bipeds living today) that ALL dinosaurs
had their own kind of endothermy and ALL dinosaurs descended from bipedal
animals, most probably arboreal and in different stages of becoming
airborne, that already had changed metabolism in their way up and down the
trees.

Just as George would say, only he thinks that the important thing was the
development of a four chambered heart and wouldn't go as far as saying
'endotherms'.
I think the four chambered heart was already present and a specific
characteristic of all archosaurs in general (Thecodonts and crocodilians
specifically). The next step was endothermy, and that was developed by the
Dinosauria/Bird clade.


Luis Rey

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