• Tag Archives mammals
  • New paper says dinosaurs were endomorphs.

    From left to right: Endomorphic Jay Cutler, Mesomorphic Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Ectomorphic poster-child Frank Zane
    From left to right: Endomorphic Jay Cutler, Mesomorphic Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ectomorphic poster-child Frank Zane

    Endo-what now? Allow me to explain.

    If one studies physical fitness (academically, or practically), then one is bound to come across the three main human body types. The endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph.

    Endomorphs are characterized by their ability to easily gain weight (be it fat, or muscle).

    Ectomorphs are characterized by their ability to easily lose weight (fat, or muscle)

    Mesomorphs are the middle ground group that appear to have the most malleable bodies.

    In general, endomorphs have lower metabolisms than the other two, while ectomorphs tend to “run hot” all the time. Few people are all one way, or the other, but a notable dominance of one type, or another is usually prevalent.

    The endo/ecto part can get confusing; especially if one is used to these prefixes in the context of endotherm/ectotherm. The names seem to be reversed from what one might normally hear (ectomorphs being more “warm-blooded” than endomorphs etc). The names have nothing to do with thermophysiology. They were coined after the germinative layers of the body during embryonic development. Endoderm forms the digestive tract, and endomorphs are usually stereotyped as fat. Ectotoderm forms the skin, and ectomorphs are usually stereotyped as being “all skin and bones.”

    The reason I went with these specific bodybuilders (Jay Cutler, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Frank Zane) was partly to buck these stereotypes, but also to point out something that the news outlets are missing. Namely that having a lower metabolic state, does not mean one is a “couch potato” or has “forgone exercise.” Bigger, means more massive. That may mean fat, but as one can see above, it also can mean muscle and bone. Dinosaurs were not fatter than mammals. They were bigger.

    So what am I rambling on about?

    Grab a calculator and come along for the ride.

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