Concept of Dinosaurs as Endotherms Essay Example

this by setting free its internal functions in the body (Davenport and J, 1992).They do this instead of purely relying on ambient heat. The heat generated internally is a metabolism product as far as an animal routine is concerned. In case of excessive cold conditions or low activities, endotherms apply mechanisms applied in adaptation to heat production. Examples are muscular exertions like oxidative metabolism and shivering.

There are various Forms of endothermy in dinosaurs. To start with, studies conducted on modern animals indicate that locomotion maximum rate is directly proportional to the metabolic rate. Dinosaurs were built to be fast animals hence they had to have high metabolic rate. Early birds have been collected recently together with their immediate predecessors. This collection has been useful in settling the controversy in the settling of origin of dinosaurs. There is plenty evidence in full support that birds emerged from these predators(Colbert et al.,2001).Originally, the sources of this evidence in similar support of this the similarity of bones between the birds and the predators. Among them is the shape of eggs of the dinosaurs.

Another form of evidence can be seen in the discovery of some soft tissues which are associated with dinosaurs’ skeletons. Animal fossils in poses of brooding as well as resting postures are a proper evidence of similarities between the birds and the predators. The flight factor cannot be ignored. It is considered to be a characteristic which birds inherited from their predecessors. There are several evidences which prove that dinosaurs were endothermic. One of them is the study on metabolic rate. It is directly proportional to locomotion maximum rate. Also, dinosaurs were made to move pretty

quickly, and hence this is a clear indicator of a high metabolic rate(Benton and M,2008).Another reason is that mammals and birds outdo ectotherms in cold areas. This is so since the predators evolved alongside mammals.This one insinuates that they had to be endotherms to so as to be able to compete with mammals for the duration they existed.

Another reason is on erect posture. Endotherms and mammals had erect posture. This is to mean that the limbs bearing the weight directly oriented below their bodies. They did not sprawl out to the sides. Hence this one means the erective posture was a clear indication of endothermy.A large size of the brain is another reason. It is actually correlates with endothermy. Ornithopod and theropod types of dinosaurs had too large brains in comparison with normal brains in other animals. As far as ecological studies are concerned, dinosaur, prey ratio is lower in comparison with predator, prey ratio of the ectotherms. This one means that the dinosaurs had fewer predators’ than the ectotherms; hence they must have been endotherms. Another one is that the predators had vertical distance and an erect posture between the head and heart(mcghee and R,2011).This makes it to require a high blood pressure like, for example a giraffe. This required the dinosaur to have a four chambered type of heart which would assist in separation of blood with a low pressure going to the lungs and the one with high pressure going to the body. This assisted the predators to evolve as animals with upright posture.

Another concrete reason is that dinosaurs were birds’ ancestors .scientist continue to argue that dinosaurs must have been endotherms

since birds themselves are endotherms. It is also proven that endotherms grow faster than ectotherms. This is so since dinosaurs grew really big in a short span. Another reason is that a bone from a dinosaur looks similar to the one of an avian or a mammalian in comparison to an ectothermic.The bone structure is a clear indicator of the dinosaurs being endothermic. A biologist by the name, Robert eagle from California institute of technology got to hear of a technique used by his colleagues (Fastovsky et al, 2007).They were using it to reconstruct climates to be ancient. Through analyzation of minerals in rocks, geochemists had the ability to determine the relativity of various chemical isotopes. The method could be used to biopatite materials forming the enamels of teeth. The result helped him to conclude that the dinosaurs were endothermic. Dinosaurs constantly maintained the high body temperatures. Big animals have a problem with heat since their bodies retain much of it.

Previous studies have also found that the dinosaurs were endothermic since the temperature of their bodies could go as high as forty to forty five degrees. It is also published by the authors of “Today in science” that the predators cooled their body through a refrigerant system. This actually happened through their long tails and necks as well as through sacs located beneath their skin. Scientists also found that they were endothermic because they had full potential for athletics, hence they would compete with present mammals and birds. They also had complicated behaviors’ as well as being quick thinkers. Their internal heat on the hand granted with an ability to live in colder habitats which

would be unfit for ectotherms (McGhee and, 2011).Again, other methods adds more evidence. This is inclusive of bone histology, lung ventilation as well as insulatory proto feathers. Anatomical evidence as well as locomotion is one among the much evidence used by researchers originally.

In general, endotherms are warm blooded organisms which mainly live on the earth surface. They are typically referred to as warm blooded. They feed and digest a lot in comparison with ectotherms which are typically referred as cold blooded. Endotherms have ways and mechanisms of regulating their body temperature through metabolism. (Chiappe and L, 2007).When it too cold and body temperatures are low, they employ methods like shivering and perspiring. When it too hot, they employ mechanisms like oxidative metabolism.
An endotherm refers to an organism which maintains itself at a temperature which is favorable as far as metabolism is concerned. They maintain a constant body temperature without depending on the environment they mainly include the mammals as well as birds. Some fish against all odds are endothermic. As far as endothermics are concerned, in case an animal looses more heat than the one it is generating, it raises its metabolism to cover up the losses. In case heat generation is more than heat loss, mechanisms like perspiring and panting are employed. These organisms do this by setting free its internal functions in the body (Isaac and, 2010). The heat generated internally is a metabolism product as far as an animal routine is concerned.

In conclusion, dinosaurs are endotherms and not ectotherms. This is due to various reasons which are inclusive of high body temperatures, high metabolism rate as well as the similarity of the

shape of eggs with birds.

References

• Chiappe, L. M. (2007). Glorified dinosaurs: The origin and early evolution of birds. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press
• Colbert, E. H., Morales, M., & Minkoff, E. C. (2001). Colbert's evolution of the vertebrates: A history of the backboned animals through time. New York: Wiley.Top of Form
• Colbert, E. H., Morales, M., & Minkoff, E. C. (2001). Colbert's evolution of the vertebrates: A history of the backboned animals through time. New York: Wiley.
• Davenport, J. (1992). Animal Life at Low Temperature. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.
• Fastovsky, D. E., & Weishampel, D. B. (2007). The evolution and extinction of the dinosaurs. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
• Isaacs, D. (2010). Dragons or dinosaurs?: Creation or evolution?. Australia: Accessible Publishing Systems.
  Benton, M. J. (2008). The seventy great mysteries of the natural world. London: Thames & Hudson.
• Mcghee, G. R. (2011). Convergent evolution: Limited forms most beautiful. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. Bottom of Form