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Thermoregulation in Dinosaurs

Image from the activity

Topic

  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Homeostasis
  • Evolution
  • Paleobiology
  • Math & Computational Skills
  • Graph Interpretation

Resource Type

  • Activities
  • Data Points

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Saved By
11 Users
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Description

This activity guides the analysis of a published scientific figure from a study that explored how dinosaurs may have regulated their body temperatures.

Most animals regulate their internal body temperatures, or thermoregulate, to survive temperature changes in their environments. To shed light on the type of thermoregulation that dinosaurs used — ectothermy, endothermy, or mesothermy — scientists compared fossil evidence with the growth and metabolic rates of living species. The figure compares the body masses and resting metabolic rates of 381 living vertebrate species and 21 extinct dinosaur species. Metabolic rates of dinosaurs were estimated based on the growth rings and dimensions of fossilized bones. The “Educator Materials” document includes a captioned figure, background information, graph interpretation, and discussion questions. The “Student Handout” includes a captioned figure and background information.

Student Learning Targets

  • Analyze and interpret data from a scientific figure. 
  • Make inferences about extinct species based on observations of similar living species.

Estimated Time

Within one 50-minute class period.

Key Terms

body temperature, ectotherm, endotherm, logarithmic scale, mesotherm, metabolism, scatter plot, trend line

Primary Literature

Grady, J. M., B. J. Enquist, E. Dettweiler-Robinson, N. A. Wright, and F. A. Smith. “Evidence for mesothermy in dinosaurs.” Science 344 (2014): 1268–1272. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1253143. 

To access this article, set up a free AAAS account. An annotated version of the article is also available from Science in the Classroom.

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 08.15.16
Date Updated 08.15.16

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS4-1; SEP2, SEP4, SEP5

AP Biology (2019)

ENE-1.M, EVO-1.N; SP1, SP4

IB Biology (2016)

5.1

AP Environmental Science (2013)

Topic(s): 2.5, 9.5, 9.9
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-2.G, EIN-4.B. STB-4.F, SP5

Common Core (2010)

ELA.RST.9-12.7
Math.S-ID.3, Math.S-IC.1; MP2, MP5

Vision and Change (2009)

CC1; DP2, DP3

Materials

Educator Materials (PDF) 1 MB
Student Handout (PDF) 851 KB

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