T Rex

Were dinosaurs warm-blooded?

Scientists have conflicting opinions on this subject. Some paleontologists think that all dinosaurs were "warm-blooded" in the same sense that modern birds and mammals are: that is, they had rapid metabolic rates. Other scientists think it unlikely that any dinosaur could have had a rapid metabolic rate. Some scientists think that very big dinosaurs could have had warm bodies because of their large body size, just as some sea turtles do today. It may be that some dinosaurs were warm-blooded. The problem is that it is hard to find evidence that unquestionably shows what dinosaur metabolisms were like.


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This page is URL:https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dinosaurs/warmblood.html
For more information, please contact Robert Weems at rweems@usgs.gov or Ronald Litwin at rlitwin@usgs.gov.

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Last modified 05-17-01 (krw)