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From: ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac)
Newsgroups: net.bio
Subject: Re: Flying dinosaurs.
Message-ID: <19@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 5-Oct-85 18:51:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.19
Posted: Sat Oct  5 18:51:15 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 7-Oct-85 05:40:05 EDT
References: <148@winston.UUCP>
Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
Lines: 17

> []
> 4. Reptiles require less energy per unit mass. Hence a lower density
>    of insects is needed to support a reptilian plankton eater than an
>    avian one.

Since some pterosaurs have been found which show impressions of hair
(or something like it) on their bodies the implication is that they
were warmblooded.  Cold blooded animals are unlikely to have insulation
since they rely on the sun to raise their body temperatures.  If this
is the case then pterosaurs did not have "reptilian" metabolisms and
comments like the above are suspect.
-- 
"Superior firepower is an      Ethan Vishniac
 important asset when          {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan
 entering into                 ethan@astro.UTEXAS.EDU
    negotiations"              Department of Astronomy
                               University of Texas