Dinosaurs Were They Cold Blooded Essay

Dinosaurs are one of the most successful, diverse, interesting animals which had ever lived on the earth. They had ruled our earth throughout the whole Mesozoic era. They were extinct in the mass extinction during the cretaceous era. Their unique physiology, body structure, metabolic rate and many other characteristics which make them more interesting to us. Not only the scientists but also the common people have a keen interest about them. But as they all are extinct and it is impossible to have all the fossils of them, it is really hard to draw any conclusion about them. ‘Were they cold-blooded or warm-blooded?’ –this is a burning question from nineteenth century but still it remains unresolved due to lack of proof. Some

Hair or feather on skin is a strong evidence for endothermy.
Predator prey ratio- Dinosaurs predator prey ratio was low. That means they had to eat a lot for their survival. That is also an endothermic feature.
Ancestry of birds- Dinosaurs are thought to be the skin of endothermic birds.
Blood pressure, blood flow and heart- To maintain circulation within their huge body they must have a high blood pressure and a four chambered heart.
Brain size- The size of their brain is similar to that of an mammal or bird. Another evidence for endothermy.
So we have seen a lot of proofs supporting their endothermic character. Endothermy in dinosaurs seems to be more reliable. There is another group of scientists who suggest that dinosaurs were neither endothermic nor ectothermic. They were something in between them –mesothermic (which are lukewarm blooded). They have given the evidences that-
Growth rings- Their seasonal growth rings is a character of neither endotherms nor ectotherms. So they might be some intermediate stage between them.
Metabolic rate- The metabolic rate of dinosaurs is higher than that of an ectoderms and lower than that of an