Deck 12: Dinosaur Biology and Behavior

Question 1

When you examine a restoration of a dinosaur, what features are inferred from sound skeletal evidence and what features are based on speculation?

Answer 1

Fossil is definition refers to impression or remains of a prehistoric animal or plant found in the rocks in petrified form.
A sound skeletal of a dinosaur will provide basis for reconstruction of the size, shape, arrangement of muscles, and the movement pattern of the dinosaur. The analysis of skeleton provides information on the posture and overall body shape of that specific dinosaur.
However, information such as density of dinosaur - fat or thin, whether it had flaps of skin on its neck or head, and other features of dinosaur related to external anatomy are not easy to establish from the skeleton anatomy.
In addition, the coloration and soft-tissue anatomy were always based on the speculations of the paleontologists and the artists, since these details cannot be inferred directly from skeletal anatomy.

Question 2

How are dinosaur weights estimated?

Answer 2

A sound skeletal of a dinosaur will provide basis for reconstruction of the size, shape, arrangement of muscles, and the movement pattern of the dinosaur. The analysis of skeleton provides information on the posture and overall body shape of that specific dinosaur.
However, information such as density of dinosaur - fat or thin, whether it had flaps of skin on its neck or head, and other features of dinosaur related to external anatomy are not easy to establish from the skeleton anatomy.
In addition, the coloration and soft-tissue anatomy were always based on the speculations of the paleontologists and the artists, since these details cannot be inferred directly from skeletal anatomy.
The paleontologists and the artists views of external appearance of dinosaurs have evolved as fresh ideas regarding dinosaur behavior and biology have emerged. The paleontological outsets about dinosaur biology and behavior have influenced the perceptions of dinosaur external appearance.

Question 3

Which estimate of the growth rate of a dinosaur is preferable, one based on growth rates of living reptiles or one based on living mammals and birds? Why?

Answer 3

There are two types of growth rates:
1. The indeterminate growth: This is seen in living reptiles. In this type the growth occurs throughout their lives but shows a decrease in rate with age.
2. The determinate growth: This type of growth is seen in birds and mammals. In this growth type the growth takes place till the time and adulthood and ceases thereafter.
The growth rate is also dependent on metabolic rate. The warm-blooded vertebrates are known to grow at least 10 times faster than cold-blooded vertebrates.
The fossil evidence indicate that few dinosaurs could have been warm blooded while few others were thought to be cold blooded animals. However, the conclusion of the dinosaur growth rate can be made only based on the dinosaur metabolism.
Majority of evidence uncovered so fat indicate that the dinosaurs could have been warm-blooded. Therefore, dinosaur growth rates and longevity estimates are primarily based on living warm-blooded vertebrates. Hence, it can be speculated that many dinosaurs attained maximum size as fast as any other living warm blooded vertebrates and may have lived as long as large mammals and birds.
Hence, the growth rates estimate of dinosaurs can be based on living birds and mammals.

Question 4

How long did an individual Brachiosaurus live? What variables affect your estimate?

Question 5

How do paleontologists determine what dinosaurs ate, and what are the limitations of these determinations?

Question 6

What does the locomotion of dinosaurs tell us about where they lived?

Question 7

What sort of parental care did hadrosaurids confer on their young? What evidence supports your answer?

Question 8

List the defensive strategies employed by different types of dinosaurs.

Question 9

What is the evidence for group behavior among dinosaurs?