TPO 4 task 1

Both passages refer to whether dinosaurs were really endotherms,-animals that keep a steady body temperature during their life such as humans- or not.

According to the reading passage, the fact that many dinosaur's fossils have been discovered in low temperature regions, indicates that were indeed endotherms. However, the lecturer contradicts this statement, by claiming that those polar regions might be warmer back then and dinosaurs could have survived in a warmer environment without maintaining their body temperature. There is also a possibility, that they have migrated to warmer environments or hibernated.

Secondly, given that the position of a dinosaur's leg was underneath its body and not on its side, that supports the idea of them being endotherms. The listening oppose this statement, by explaining that the legs were placed underneath in order to support more weight, so they can increase in size which was beneficial.

Finally, the Haversian canals, which are nerves and blood vessels that allow animals to grow quickly are traits one will encounter in endotherms. Therefore, its existence on dinosaur fossils supports that dinosaurs were endotherms. On the other hand, the lecturer refers that growth rings that have been found , which indicate the growth period of dinosaurs, proved that dinosaurs did not have a steady growth. On the contrary, their growth depended on the climate, thus they were not endotherms.