Large dinosaurs were extremely hot in their day, UF s...( the research. These findings clearly ...)

the research. "These findings clearly show that mammal-like endothermy is not a necessary prerequisite for ecological success. Dinosaurs inhabited all latitudes, and although the climate in the age of dinosaurs 65 (million) to 150 million years ago was much warmer than today, the animals could nonetheless maintain high body temperatures in polar climates with freezing or near-freezing conditions. The advantages of being a 'warm' reptile are that no energy has to be expended to produce metabolic heat to keep warm; in other words, if we were warm reptile-like ectotherms, we would save a lot of money on the grocery bill."

In the meantime, the research team continues to investigate what are proving to be universal relationships among size, growth rate and temperature.

"There are differences between mammals and invertebrates, but within a group, from a mouse to an elephant, or plankton to a large fish, we have found growth rate can be explained by how warm the animal is and how big the animal is," Gillooly said. "If we know the growth rate and size, we can determine temperature. If we know size and temperature, we can make predictions about the rate at which an organism lives and reproduces. This simple little equation has turned out to be tremendously useful to understanding the biological time clock."

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Contact: John Pastor
jpastor@vpha.health.ufl.edu
352-273-5810
University of Florida
11-Jul-2006

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