Re: Arboreals dinos, handedness, what people sez etc.

[Jerzy Dyczkowski <jerzyd@poczta.ibb.waw.pl>]

On Thu, 31 Jan 2002, David Marjanovic wrote:

> > In modern ecosystems, there is well developed group of bigger arboreal
> > animals. This includes herbivorous and frugivorous primates, squirrels and
> > some procyonids, bears, marsupials and hyraxes; and predatory marsupials,
> > cats, martens and viverrids.
> >
> > Was this ecological niche empty in Mesosoic and why?
>
> Apparently it was pretty empty in the Mesozoic because of the lack of
> fruits.

So what was eating leaves from treetops - only insects? Or undescribed 40
m tall sauropods?

> > Flight in bats probably evolved by jumping up or hopping down the rocks
>
> trees?
>
> > catching insects with front paws (modern bats use wing membrane to catch
> > insects).
>
> Thanks a lot for this idea. This hypothesis gets along without gliding!
> Woo-hoo! :-) Do you have a ref for this?

Dunno. Should be in any monography of bats. One which I looked proposed,
that first bats were living in rock cavities.

cheers,

J.