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Dinosaurs Inside and Out

Dinosaur Metabolism

Do we know what type of metabolism dinosaurs had?

Unfortunately, we currently do not know too much about dinosaur metabolism. There is a wealth of conflicting evidence, most of it indirect. Some of the problem may be that various types of dinosaurs had different metabolisms. For example, the large plant-eating dinosaurs might have needed a much different metabolism than the smaller, quick theropods. Paleontologists are currently divided on their opinions of dinosaur metabolism, generally falling into three camps. Some interpret the available evidence as meaning dinosaurs were indeed cold-blooded. Others firmly believe that dinosaurs were warm-blooded. And the last group thinks dinosaurs had a unique physiology that included a combination of both cold-and warm-blooded traits.



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