Dinosaurs Did Not Get Bigger In Colder Climates, Says New Study, Negating Long-Standing Theory

Modern birds that live in colder environments tend to be slightly larger than those that live in warmer climates. However, this was not the case for birds that lived alongside non-avian dinosaurs.

It was assumed that dinosaurs and extinct mammals that resided in colder climates were larger than extinct animals that lived in warmer temperatures. But a new study says that extinct dinosaurs and mammals did not get bigger with cooling temperatures, negating the theory. ( Image Source :University of Reading/ABP Live )

Did you know that most dinosaurs were warm-blooded animals? This means that they were able to maintain a constant body temperature, mostly independent of the surrounding environment. A long-standing theory, known as Bergmann's rule, predicts that warm-blooded animals that live in colder climates in higher latitudes will be larger in size than those that live in warmer climates below the equator. Therefore, it was assumed that dinosaurs and extinct mammals that resided in colder climates were