SEPTEMBER
2001
HOW FAST DID THE DINOSAURS GROW?
Dinosaurs grew rapidly-as fast as 120
pounds a day for the biggest ones-according to Gregory Erickson,
an FSU biologist and paleontologist, in an article published
in July in Nature magazine.
"All dinosaurs-primitive and advanced, large or small-grew
at rates accelerated beyond those typical of reptiles today,"
said Erickson, who also teaches gross anatomy in the FSU College
of Medicine.
Before the 1960s, Erickson said, dinosaurs were thought to be
scaled-up versions of living reptiles with slow growth rates
compared to mammals and birds. But researchers no longer believe
that.
Erickson said small dinosaurs grew more slowly than large
ones, and the largest dinosaurs piled on the pounds like a whale.
He said growth rates are a clue to a dinosaur's life history:
its reproductive maturity, diet and other characteristics.
"We're a long way from Jurassic Park," he said. "Nevertheless, recent research efforts have placed paleontology on the brink of numerous major breakthroughs." -Mark Riordan
|
ContentsCharlie BarnesNews NotesCompressionIn MemoriamFavorite Prof |
