Dinosaurs May have been Mesotherms

A new research by the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque unveiled that long-extinct dinosaurs were both warm-blooded and cold-blooded. Before this revelation, researchers for a long time have debated over the metabolism of the dinosaurs.

The researchers said the metabolic system of dinosaurs was complicated than previously thought. Earlier, it was considered that dinosaurs were cold blooded, but then one of the contradictions to that idea was birds have warm bodies and active lifestyle.

But when the bones of 21 dinosaur species were assessed, researchers noted fast growth, which is not possible with an ectothermic (cold-blooded) animal as it requires a lot of energy. Researchers then affirmed that dinosaurs must have been mesotherms, animals having characteristics of both warm and cold-blooded species.

Examples of the best-known species of this type are white sharks and tuna. Their muscles work hard to swim and this keeps them warm. Due to a mesotherm body system, dinosaurs were able to move quickly.

"Our results showed that dinosaurs had growth and metabolic rates that were actually not characteristic of warm-blooded or even cold-blooded organisms", affirmed researchers. Dinosaurs did not act like mammals nor did they act like reptiles.

Dinosaurs were discovered in the early years of 19th century. During their period, dinosaurs have gone through great transformation. Cold-blooded animals, ectotherms, are not active species as they try to conserve energy. They move slowly and do not eat much due to slow metabolism rate. They can be quite big in size and lie on rocks.

On the other hand, warm-blooded creatures, or endotherms, lead an active life. They eat a lot and burn calories fast and are relatively small.