On Dinosaur Growth

2014/05/30 by Gregory M. Erickson · 2 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Ichthyology and Marine Biology

paper · doi:10.1146/annurev-earth-060313-054858

openalex publication_date 2014/05/30 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/24

Abstract

Despite nearly two centuries of investigation, a comprehensive understanding of dinosaur biology has proven intractable. The recent development of means to study tissue-level growth, age these animals, and make growth curves has revolutionized our knowledge of dinosaur lives. From such data it is now understood that dinosaurs grew both disruptively and determinately; that they rarely if ever exceeded a century in age; that they became giants through accelerated growth and dwarfed through truncated development; that they were likely endothermic, sexually matured like crocodiles, and showed survivorship like populations of large mammals; and that basal birds retained dinosaurian physiology.

Citations

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Cited by

• A review and reappraisal of the specific gravities of present and past multicellular organisms, with an emphasis on tetrapods
• Dinosaur [wikipedia]