Differences in global biomass and energy use between dinosaurs and mammals
Authors
Jerzy Trammer
Institute of Geology, University of Warsaw, ul. Żwirki i Wigury 93; PL-02-089 Warszawa
Keywords:
Dinosaurs, mammals, Global biomass, Global energy use, Diversity, Body size
Abstract
estimates derived from the literature suggest that dinosaurs, even if they had a mammalian-type metabolism, produced globally much more biomass than mammals for the same amount of energy consumed. The average body mass of an individual dinosaur was several thousand times greater than in the case of mammals. Dinosaurs were one to several hundred times less numerous than mammals and, in comparison to mammals, the average number of individuals per dinosaur species was several to a dozen or so times lower than in mammals.
