Re: Dinosaur urine?

[dannj@alphalink.com.au]

On Thu, 16 Mar 2006 02:19:32 -0300, Roberto Takata wrote
> Dear People,
> 
> I was watching Jurassic Park 3 other day. In a scene, the boy lost in
> the Lorna Island show to Dr Grant a flask with T-rex pee.
> 
> Well, bird nitrogenous excretion is solid (uric acid) and eliminated
> with excrement as the white dielectric material (as described by Arno
> and Penzias). How is the N-compounds excretion in crocodiles?
> 
> Would a dinosaur produce a watery urine or a pasty one?
> 

That depends on whether the system found in birds is an adaptation to flight 
or not. Excreting a paste in flight would seem to be easier than urinating or 
passing solids, and being able to squirt it out at speed no doubt helps 
prevent feathers being fowled.

Flying foxes aren't quite so lucky - they sometimes urinate all over 
themselves while hanging upside-down.

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Dann Pigdon
GIS / Archaeologist         http://heretichides.soffiles.com
Melbourne, Australia        http://www.geocities.com/dannsdinosaurs
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