Re: Warm vs Cold blooded

[Robert.J.Meyerson@uwrf.edu (Robert J. Meyerson)]

>I've seen several threads discussing aspects of warm blooded dinos, and I
>guess I've always considered this a binary function.  You were warm blooded
>or not.  However is there or could there be one or more intermediate
>conditions with representatives in the Saurs.

Another aspect to this question that people tend to ignore is the
possibility of differing metabolisms.  The difference, for example, between
a mouse and an elephant.  Both are obviously warm blooded, but the mouse
has a higher metabolism for the simple fact that it is a great deal
smaller.  It is possible, therefore, that even the big sauropods were
warm-blooded; admittedly, there metabolisms would have to be immensly slow.

I do know that the energy level of a biological system is dictated by the
energy level of the predators.  Therefore, if it can be shown (which I feel
it has) that the theropods were warm-blooded, then conditions demand that
the herbivores be warm-blooded too, if they are to survive.

Rob

GEOLOGISTS ARE FUN TO BE WITH BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY GNIESS