Essay On Thermoregulation

Thermoregulation is the process of regulating the internal body temperature of animals within a certain range. Endotherms, such as mammals and birds, thermoregulate internally by generating heat from metabolic processes and are able to keep their body temperature high and relatively constant, adapting to the environment to maintain homeostasis. This type of thermoregulation requires a high metabolic rate, that enables organisms to be more physically active without having to rely on the environment, hence increases evolutionary fitness. Ectotherms, such as reptiles and fish obtain heat from the environment and hence have a slower metabolism and can tolerate fluctuations in their internal temperature. Ectotherms thermoregulate by adjusting their behaviour, for example, laying in the sun or submerging themselves in water (Mrowka & Reuter 2016; Griebeler 2013; Grady et al. 2014; Reece et al. 2015). There is evidence to support both types of thermoregulation occurred in …show more content…
Even so, the general trend across the data presented is that dinosaurs were either endotherms or ectotherms with alterations from what we see today, or had their own method of thermoregulation which lies somewhere between the two. Since it’s difficult to obtain samples of dinosaurs, whether it be from bone isotope compositing, ranges of growth/age of different species or bone structure, therefore it’s difficult to extrapolate data which may contradict with another researcher’s work. There is a wide variety of techniques used to determine thermoregulation, but most of the results have not been replicated, even when using the same method. Due to this dichotomy, thermoregulation of dinosaurs will remain a mystery until more definitive methods are established, or a time