Learn about a new study that claims dinosaur farts may have changed our planet's temperature.
Researchers believe dinosaur farts may have warmed the planet earth millions of years ago. Sauropods were large plant-eating dinosaurs, like the brontosaurus. They roamed the earth during the Mesozoic era (250 million years ago until 65 million years ago, when the dinosaurs died out).
Scientists estimate that the amount of greenhouse gas methane they produced would have been about 520 million tons per year, the same amount of greenhouse gas currently produced not just by animals but by all man-made sources like cars and factories!
Greenhouse gas methane is just a fancier name for, well, farts! The gas is a natural byproduct of the digestive process of plant eaters, like cows, which also produce a lot of methane. But because dinosaurs were so much bigger, they each produced much more. But the huge number even surprised the researchers.
David Wilkinson of Liverpool John Moores University said, "The thing about methane is it is an extremely potent greenhouse gas." It could very well have been a factor in making the planet warmer and wetter than it is today.
Thanks to the Huffington Post for this story.
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