TOEFL integrated writing: Endotherms

The professor in the lecture casts doubts on the information presented in the reading passage of how dinasaurs are considered Endotherms, and he provides reasons to support his point of view.

First of all, The professor argues that the dinasaurs fossils that were actually found in polar regions are not an indication that they are endotherms as the reading passage claims. According to the reading passage, this means that dinasaurs could maintain a constant body temperature during cold weather as all endotherms do. However, the professor explains that dinasaurs could have migrated to warm areas or even hybernate when it is cold.

Secondly, The professor also contradicts the fact that the leg position which is located underneath their bodies could be another indication that dinasaurs are endotherms as suggested in the reading passage, because according to the professor such body structure could be formed to support their weight and not for the intension of running like the other endotherms.

Finally, according to the professor the presence of the haversian canal in the bones of dinassaurs, which are usually a characteristic of endotherms do not implicate the that dinassaurs are endotherms as mentioned in the reading passage, because according to the professor, growth rings were also found in their fossils and those rings are responsible for stagnating their growth during cold, Moreover, he also adds that if dinasaurs are really endotherms then they should continue to grow even if the environment becomes cool.