RE: Speculative dino species

[Michael Bruce Habib <mbh3q@cms.mail.virginia.edu>]

If the K/T event is eliminated, and dinosaur lineages 
continue, one might also expect some interesting parasites 
to develop.  I'm not speaking so much for pathogens and 
smaller parasites (a topic that would be far to difficult to
evaluate at all scientifically without dinosaur physiology),
but species of specialized nest replacement parasites 
similar to modern cuckoos. Say, for example, a dromeo 
species that lays its eggs in other theropod nests, and has 
young with a faster growth rate than average, so they take 
over the nest (essentially the cuckoo model).  

I see this as an adaptive response to shrinking 
viable nesting zones that might occur with climatic cooling.

Another viable idea would be sanguivores (represented today 
by the vampire bats in the genera Desmodus, Diphylla, and 
Diaemus) specialized to feed on dinosaur taxa. This may 
seem to be going way out on a limb, but...

1. Small mammals could still proliferate, as well as small 
dinosaurs (actually, bats themselves may have Cretaceous 
ancestry, given their known fossil history)

2. Sanguivores were widespread, and included more species 
(some of relatively large size) when the mammalian 
megafauna were prevalent.  That is, they require large 
vertebrates as prey species, and radiate during periods 
when large vertebrates are widespread.

I would imagine that such a niche would still be held by 
mammals (if it still developed), but I couldn't help toying 
with the idea of sanguivorous species of very small 
theropods, or more likely, toothed birds (assuming they 
make it through K/T as well in our little model).

Just my attempt to think "outside the box"

--Mike Habib
mbh3q@virginia.edu