How Did Dinosaurs Regulate Their Body Temperatures?

This activity extends concepts covered in the film The Origin of Birds. Students analyze and interpret data from a scientific paper to explore thermoregulation in living and extinct animals, including dinosaurs.  

The activity challenges students to use data to investigate the following question raised in the film: How did dinosaurs regulate their body temperature? Students will consider whether dinosaurs regulated their body temperature more like birds (endotherms), reptiles (ectotherms), or something in between. In the process, they will learn about the methods used to determine animals’ metabolic rates, and will analyze, interpret, and graph scientific data.

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