RE: Sauropod nostrils (was RE: joke........)

[Toby White <augwhite@neosoft.com>]

On Monday, August 30, 1999 9:36 AM, carlo godel [SMTP:regiaero@gj.net] wrote:
> Tom,
> In all of the animals you mention the internal nares still come very close to
> the braincase especially in the Camarasaurus, the others I can not say as I
> don't have any specimens of those available for study. I may be misinformed
> but
> I remember reading that some frogs are capable of respiration through the
> skin.
> My Idea is not that far fetched, perhaps out on a limb? I did not bring a 
saw.
>
> thank you
> Carlo
>
Frogs have glandular skin, like mammals -- some very small mammals also do some 
respiration through the skin, I understand.  Reptile epidermis is essentially 
impermeable.  Inside the air passage may be a somewhat different matter, but 
recall that any gas exchange surface will also be a surface for evaporation. 
 Finally, blood supply does a lot for brains besides supply oxygen: cleans out 
metabolic wastes, receives and delivers important hormonal signals, etc.

  --Toby White