I'm afraid I dont know much about ancient reptiles, but this thread is very interesting. And it might inspire me to start reading up on prehistoric reptiles. How about a field trip, anyone up for a herping trip in Pangea? 
Whats wrong with dinosaur reconstruction?
- Thread starter DariusAmurdarja
- Start date
This is becoming an extremely interesting thread after the first few speed bumps. Darius I anxiously await a more in depth response and explaination to your theories and specific info that could open more insight strong enough to sway other interested posters and myself to your opinions...... If only ice core samples could give us atmosheric facts more than just a couple hundred thousand years back, it would be nice to have specific facts on the weater conditions of this era to base these theories on. Without any proven and undisputed facts to create a common "controled anchor" to base this debate upon all rational opinions have to be entertained as possobilities.
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Interesting pics and food for thought
Of course higher heat conditions combined with food source with hasten the growth of modern reptiles. Statement based soley on cold bloode reptiles, could it not be possible that dinosours were both warm and cold blooded. Although there are no warm blooded reptiles currently known to modern day. Possible atmospheric heat increase could have wiped out warm blooded species while cold blooded species may have survived and evolved.
20"
5 months later
5'
Not my pics copied from this thread
http://www.reptileforums.net/forums...be-the-fastest-growing-lizard-in-history.....
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Of course higher heat conditions combined with food source with hasten the growth of modern reptiles. Statement based soley on cold bloode reptiles, could it not be possible that dinosours were both warm and cold blooded. Although there are no warm blooded reptiles currently known to modern day. Possible atmospheric heat increase could have wiped out warm blooded species while cold blooded species may have survived and evolved.
20"
5 months later
5'
Not my pics copied from this thread
http://www.reptileforums.net/forums...be-the-fastest-growing-lizard-in-history.....
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Again, it was about you though, not Germany from what i remember
But either way, it doesn't matter, carry on,........
Sorry koltsix. I type on my ipad. Its not so easy to type on that and i would prefer to type on a computer. I will answer your questions, when at home.
Home from work yet or school or what ever? Long day! Ahh to be 24 with all that energy.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App.....touch screen tablet on wich I type all my posts, not badgering you just axiously awaiting
Hmmm, so you subscribe to the muscle theory, any reason why? Just asking cause I don't see it except for the suggestive structuring of it and was wondering if you see more reasons than I do. Otherwise logically to me as far as function it seems more likely that it was a sail. It could be used for mating display purposes as in maybe males where more brightly colored or maybe it was larger in males. The best part about that is it works whether you associate dino's with reptiles or birds. Both often display for mating purposes. I also like that a thermoregulatory sail could be serve a vital functional purpose regardless of Spino being ecto or endothermic. With the large blood vessels running through them they could easily have been used to either cool the body or heat it. The equation for calculating energy transfer in relation to surface area is a complicated one, but the simple principal is the larger the surface area the easier it is for energy to be transferred or loss. That's why ice chips cool a drink faster than ice cubes. The heat in the drink has more surface area to come into contact with the ice chips so the loss of energy heating up those ice chips is lost or used more quickly. Another example of a practical use is reptile heat pads the pad comes in contact with more surface area and therefore less energy is necessary to heat a larger area. The sail could have worked in a similar manner creating a greater amount of surface area to come into contact with sunlight or cool air creating a more efficient transfer of heat or loss of heat. So if Spino was ectothermic they could have used the sail to heat up and become more active earlier in the day than other pred's. Other reptile pred's need to warm up in order to kick start their metabolism and start hunting. So this would give Spino a definitive advantage. Now if they where endothermic perhaps over heating could have happened due to overexertion from hunting and moving around such a large warm blooded body. The sail if placed in the shade or given proper positioning in regards to wind would help dissipate this heat and therefore make them a more effective hunter as they could exert themselves harder and cool off faster. Instead of being hobbled like the cheetah whose extreme bursts of speed take quite a toll on them and if they miss catching prey they have to rest and cool down before attempting it again. As the largest carnivore of it's time, perhaps that 2 ton extra weight put a large strain on them if they where warm blooded and they needed the advantage of a sail to dissipate said heat.
I'm afraid I dont know much about ancient reptiles, but this thread is very interesting. And it might inspire me to start reading up on prehistoric reptiles. How about a field trip, anyone up for a herping trip in Pangea?
Lol! Don't worry about it even scientists who specialize in ancient reptiles don't know much about them, so feel free to start reading up on them just know much of it is conjecture that could change at any moment.
I'm glad your enjoying the thread and hopefully getting something out of it. Your right too knowing the definitive climate conditions back then would greatly help extrapolating more info. about dino's and they way they lived and functioned. Who knows though science takes steps forward everyday and we may come up with a way to get a more accurate idea of climate conditions back then and that would help putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
I also agree reptiles given an abundant food source and a proper heat source to keep their metabolism going a reptile can grow at an exceedingly fast rate. Many reptiles are given to hibernation due to climate conditions and times of low metabolic activity and this greatly affects how fast they grow. This may not have been a factor back then as the climate may have favored extremely warm temperatures and humid conditions, perfect conditions for a ectothermic animal to live in and take advantage of. Today we can see the differences in reptile growth rates between captive and wild herps. One instance is with Red Tegu's who hibernate in the wild and don't necessarily have to in captivity. Whether they do or not is at the discretion of their owners. A Red Tegu not subjected to hibernation grows twice as fast as one who does hibernate. Though many believe problems especially concerning their reproduction can arise. They mature too quickly and therefore the organs may not mature properly and become non functional. Though this is unproven as far as I know presently. In either case your talking about an animal who evolved to grow and mature this way due to climate. So dino's may have had no evolutionary limitations that present day reptiles have, because maybe the climate favored them and their metabolism. It makes sense too, because they ruled the planet at that time so it probably means that they where suited to take advantage of said conditions and what's more favorable to a big reptile than heat and humdity. Again though this is just my opinion.
Kolstix just wondering what tele comm or cable company are you employed, Im on long island in the same or simular field
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I used to work for Cablevision as a supervisor, right now though I'm unemployed. They terminated me when I got rear ended by a semi while stopped at a light on the job enroute to helping a tech. Right now I'm studying to be a Respiratory Therapist as the resultant injury stopped me from being capable of doing cable repair work. So I'll be making less money as a Therapist, but at least it's a field I could take pride in. It's too bad cause I was state certified in Fiber and Copper cabling systems and I really found the dynamics behind fiber really interesting and would have loved to be apart of it's progression and see to what extent it's capabilities are in the future. Seeing as it's data carrying capabilities are so vast, info. at the speed of light, uber cool.
Sorry about the small derail, we can take any further convo. to pm. if you'd like.
it is very hard to compare modern day reptiles with dinosaurs. They are more birdlike. Many dinosaurs lived in moderate and even very cold climates. Some antarctic dinosaurs have very large eyes so they could see in the antarctic night. It wasn't as cold as today but it was snowing and dark for weeks. Most small dinosaurs were covered in feather like structures. We also know from their growrates, that they did grow very fast and fast metabolism, also in cold areas. Sauropods for example could gain 50 kg meat per day. We know that from various Titanosaurus fossils in all age stages. Another example is T rex. He did grow slow, till he was around 12 years old. Then a massive grow rate started, adding one ton per year. As for Spinosaurus, i don't believe in the sail theory, because it makes no sense. All Spinosaurids habe enlarged spines. All like Baryonix are clearly supporting muscles and creating a hump. While i agree that Spinosaurus himself has those spines at a larger scale, they still do not look like they did just hold a sail. Spinosaurus has strong and broad spines, similar to a Bison. Look at Dimetrodon or other permian pecylosaurs with a sail and you will see the differences. Interesting enough, the german scientist who found Spino did not call it a sail but modelled him with a muscular hump. The sail theory came p much later.
