Re: Sundry responses of Bois

[John Bois <jbois@umd5.umd.edu>]

On Mon, 29 May 2000, Stanley Friesen wrote:

> Expecially given the reputation of the living opossum as an 
> egg-stealer!  Based on reputation the biggest egg-stealers in the USA are 
> opossums and *snakes* - and the latter is probably the worse "threat".

The literature I have read also gives a large role to skunks, foxes,
minks, racoons.  But, since my hypothesis depends on increasing predation
load, I have an open-tent policy--come on in!  My only proviso is that we
recognize that not all nest and hatchling predators are equal (not that we
know which are better, best).

> Snakes are a big culprit here.  Why not suggest snakes as the cause of 
> dinosaur extinction :-)  They were relatively recently evolved at the time?

Yes, and some big buggers, too.  Man, what a nightmare.  Imagine colonial
dinosaurs, with rigid genetic rules ordering them not to move at night (so
they don't break their nest/eggs/hatchlings) among a seething mass of
rapacious egg eating snakes!