Were dinosaurs able to regulate their body temperature?
Scientists have conflicting opinions on this subject. Some paleontologists think that all dinosaurs were able to regulate their body temperature in the same sense that modern birds and mammals are; that is, they had rapid metabolic rates. Other scientists think it unlikely that any dinosaur could have had a rapid metabolic rate. The problem is that it is hard to find evidence that unquestionably shows what dinosaur metabolisms were like. How long could a dinosaur live? Dinosaur life spans probably varied in length from tens of years to hundreds of years. Their possible maximum age can be estimated from the maximum life spans of modern reptiles, such as the 66-year life span of the common alligator and the impressive life span of a black Seychelles tortoise. One specimen of this now-extinct tortoise lived 152 years in captivity and had an accidental death. These estimates, based on life spans of cold-blooded animals, would be too long if dinosaurs had metabolisms more similar to modern
