3 ms·
Oh, to clarify, when I talk about that, I'm not talking about temperature tolerance - that's really more of a secondary byproduct - but metabolic demands. A war
by rwallace 8y ago
Oh, to clarify, when I talk about that, I'm not talking about temperature tolerance - that's really more of a secondary byproduct - but metabolic demands. A warm-blooded (i.e. fast metabolism) animal needs an order of magnitude more food than a cold-blooded (slow metabolism) animal.
- tremon 8y agoFrom what I've read, dinosaurs were not warm-blooded due to their fast metabolism (endothermic) but due to their size and associated heat capacity (homeothermic). That would have made them relatively less susceptible to starvation than present-day mammals, but given their size, they would still require plenty of food.
- sandworm101 8y agoThe big ones. Most were not the movie giants and so were probably much more coldish blooded. It is all a bit of an oversimplification. Some big fish (white sharks) can have internal temperatures a few degrees above water temp. There are all sorts of middle grounds between warm and cold blood.
- sandworm101 8y agoThat too is more complex. An animal like a bear does need more calories, but being warm blooded allows it a greater endurance. A bear can travel further to find food. A bear can access calories over a larger patch of land, and during a greater number of hours each day, than a cold blooded crocodile. So a bear might survive in a more calorie-depleted environment despite its increased appetite.