Summary
Dinosaurs were once assumed to have been ectothermic, or cold-blooded, an idea that makes sense given that they were reptiles. Scientists now think that dinosaurs that already had some cold tolerance, or warm-bloodedness, to adapt when they migrated to regions with cooler temperatures.
“[Our findings] provide novel insights into the origin of avian endothermy, suggesting that this evolutionary trajectory within theropods… likely started in the latest Early Jurassic,” the researchers said in the same study. That really is something to think about next time a sparrow flies by.
