Re: Sauropod Energetics (Peristaltic pump)

[Sim Koning <simkoning@msn.com>]

I'm aware of the giant Hadrosaurs, but as far as I know, they haven't 
discovered any 80-100 ton hadrosaurs just yet, though it would be cool if 
they did. imagine a T-rex trying to eat that =). My point here is that no 
other herbivore in the history of this planet has come close to the size of 
the largest sauropod. I'm speculating that they had some advantage over 
other herbivores that allowed them to grow to such massive proportions.


> From: Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>
> Reply-To: twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com
> To: dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: Re: Sauropod Energetics (Peristaltic pump)
> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 20:40:12 -0600
>
>
> Sim Koning wrote:
>
> > Is there any gigantic, short necked, big headed, low browsing sauropods?
>
> Not that I know of.  Perhaps that's why God invented hadrosaurs.  :-)
>
> The biggest hadrosaurs (like _Shantungosaurus_) got up to about 15m long, 
> which is small potatoes for a sauropod.  But unlike hadrosaurs, most of the 
> length of a typical sauropod was taken up by the enormously long neck and 
> tail.  Hadrosaurs were "short necked" and "big headed", and 15m is 
> impressive - even "gigantic" - for an ornithischian.
>
> Cheers
>
> Tim