-----Original
Message-----
From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of Richard W Travsky
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2001 1:30
PM
To: dinosaur@usc.edu
Subject: Did sauropods suckle? Re:
Yahoo news: Study: Dinosaurs Gained Weight Fast
On Wed, 25 Jul 2001, Donald Lamson wrote:
> See:
>
> http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010725/sc/fast_growing_dinosaurs_2.html
>
> Partial story:
>
> Wednesday July 25 2:41 PM ET
>
> Study: Dinosaurs Gained Weight Fast
>
> By MATT CRENSON,
>
> The biggest dinosaurs reached their enormous proportions by growing faster
> than almost any animal that has ever lived, a new analysis of fossilized
> bones indicates.
>
> In Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, paleontologists estimate that
the
> giant apatosaurus, formerly known as brontosaurus, put on more than 30
> pounds a day at the height of its adolescent growth spurt.
>
> Argentinasaurus, perhaps the heaviest dinosaur that ever lived, would have
> gained more than 100 pounds a day during its most rapid period of growth.
> [...]
What kind of diet could result in such a weight gain? The little thing
woud have to be continuously eating Mass Quantities. I mean without
breaks. The food would have to be really nutritious or the digestion
really efficient.
Can you do that on plant stuffs? What's an equivalent/comparable weight
gain for, say, cattle? Percentage wise or whatever.
Dare I say it - did they suckle? The only thing I can think of is whales.
Doing a quick web search:
Oh gawd, please tell me he didn’t say that. For crying out loud, I don’t
believe this (not the first time someone posted that inane question). Ok, yea,
they did, the female had 100 teats for all the little squirts!!!! Yea, right,
dinosaurs are mammals not reptiles, they had hair, had to worry about premature
balding, had breasts, produced milk.
One more reason why I wonder about this list.
Tracy L. Ford
P. O. Box 1171
Poway Ca
92074