Re: Speculative dino species

[AM Yates <Adam.Yates@bristol.ac.uk>]

On Sat, 28 Jul 2001, Daniel Bensen wrote:

> >>Yeah, COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!<<
> :)
> 
> >>Remember WWD's antarctic scene featuring _Laellynasaura_!<<
> But laellynasaurs are Australian, so wouldn't have a chance to come into
> contact with the rest of the world.

Not so, Australia remained partly attached to Antartica which remained
attached to south America until very late, perhaps even after the K/T.
Thats why you get Platypi very similar to the Australian Tertiary
Platypi (genus Obdurodon) in the Palaeocene of South America. The fairly
new eocene mammal site in Australia, Murgon, has produced a very South
American syle fauna (microbiotheriids et al.)

I've also done some speculation on the Cainozoic dinosaurs that never
were. I came up with vaguely sirenian like nodosaurids, as the only
non-avian lineage to go aquatic. This was based on the fact that so many
nodosaurid skeletons are buried out at sea and their distribution seems
to show them dispersing around the Pacific rim. Thus I see them as
dinosaurs that were already at home in marginally marine environments,
that weren't afraid of going out to feed on intertidal vegetation, a bit
like slightly more terrestrial versions of desmostylians. 

As for developing Hominid-like intelligence, if it ever happened, it
would have been the parrots (presuming they were present prior to the
KT). They have big brains, are capable of complex vocalisations, and
have manipulative grasping feet, not mention their amazing beak/tongue
apparatus! 


cheers

Adam Yates