Around 200 million years ago, the earth was 18 degrees warmer than it is now.  That might be a bit hot for humans, but it was just right for the giant dinosaurs that wandered about the earth during the Mesozoic   era. A new study found that planteating dinosaurs may have contributed to the warming of the earthby releasing significant amounts of methane  . The study, published in science journal Current Biology, focused on sauropods, longnecked herbivores   that munched   on the top of trees. They  were the largest of the dinosaurs; food broke down in their  stomachs for long periods of time.  The researchers estimate that a sauropoda released 2,675 liters of methane per  day--adding up to a large amount of the greenhouse gas  being pumped from dinosaur's gut into the atmosphere. Plant eaters naturally release methane as part of their   digestive process. The larger the animal, the more methane  it produces. Methane, a greenhouse gas, traps heat and remains in the atmosphere for approximately 915 years,  which warms the atmosphere. Today,  some  animals,  such  as  cattle,  goats  and  sheep, produce large amounts of methane as a byproduct  to their food digestion. Methane is also released from human--influenced sources such as landfill, agricultural activities, coal mining and other industrial practices--which all contribute to today's climate change, according to the  Environmental Protection Agency. The researchers estimate that earth's sauropods would  have produced about 520 million tons of methane per  year--similar to the total amount of methane produced today by natural and manmade sources.  However, the researchers warn that their numbers are estimates based on  multiple assumptions about the digestive systems and populations of dinosaurs. The author of the study David Wilkinson says the  emission of methane from dinosaurs would have been just  one of the causes of warm climate during the Mesozoic era.  Other  causes  include  gases  produced  from  volcanoes,  swamps, shallow seas and so on. Still, Wilkinson says,"  The amount of methane from dinosaurs is large enough to  have a measurable effect." Scientists think dinosaurs may have led to the global     warming because   _  .
they ate everything they found they usually had a good appetite they released a lot of methane there were too many dinosaurs on earth