Theropod Dinosaurs Are Cold Blooded Essay

Paleological evidence for homoeothermic tendencies in theropod dinosaurs in the Cretaceous Period
Abstract
Dinosaurs were considered to be cold blooded reptiles until several shocking discoveries and studies have changed the way that the general public has viewed them. Theropod dinosaurs have been selected to be analyzed because they have the strongest evidence pointing to warm blooded tendencies across the class. Carbon and oxygen isotopes in teeth enamel and physical fossilized data can be used to argue for the warm blooded tendencies in the theropods.
Introduction
The debate of whether dinosaurs were cold or warm blooded is neither a new nor resolved debate. Since first hypothesized in 1969 by John Ostrom (Anderson, 2009), the debate
The margin of error was determined by sampling modern day animals with known body temperatures and their Pleistocene and Miocene age relatives whose body temperature can be assumed based on frozen tissue samples and modern day equivalents. For example, mastodons frozen in Siberia and modern day elephants are two comparable species. With a this minimal margin of error, this test proves that it can be very reliable for use in determining if theropod dinosaurs were warm or cold
Dinosaurs, theropods especially, fit in-between crocodiles and birds on the evolutionary scale. This relationship shows that theropod dinosaurs could have some of the traits of reptilian crocodiles and birds. The fact that theropod dinosaurs are in-between crocodiles and aves leads to the assumption that theropod dinosaurs were warm blooded so that they could transition to birds. Homoeothermic tendencies in theropod dinosaurs can be determined from the physical data of brain cavity size, feather impressions, the nesting tendencies, and the breathing anatomy of the theropod