Calculated how the dinosaur Plateosaurus breathed

Calculated how the dinosaur Plateosaurus breathed

Plateosaurus trossingensis is one of the largest herbivorous Late Triassic dinosaurs, numerous fossils of which, including complete skeletons, are known from Europe. Thanks to this great fossil record, it is possible to estimate the growth curve, body mass, and even the tidal volume of this dinosaur. Those data were used to calculate the metabolism and the resting breathing rate. The results revealed that the resting breathing rate in P. trossingensis was 7 + 3 breaths per minute, about the same as the modern rhinoceros.

Life reconstruction of Plateosaurus trossingensis, author Jakub Zalewski

PUBLICATION : Lee S., Słowiak-Morkovina J. (2023) The Resting Breathing Rate of the Dinosaur Plateosaurus trossingensis via Conservation of Energy. The Physics Teacher 61, 166-169. doi: 10.1119/5.0077948