[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index][Subject Index][Author Index]

Re: Sheesh

Although a number of living birds dig nesting burrows in the ground, and a number of others are worm-eaters (kiwis do both), none of them are truly fossorial, even on islands such as New Zealand where there are no native terrestrial mammals that might compete with birds for a burrowing niche. I suspect that bipedal posture and the subsequent reduction/adaptation of the front limbs in birds and their ancestors may simply have taken them out of of the adaptive "zone" that would make the evolution of a truly fossorial form at all likely.

At 09:25 AM 24/10/2006, Tim Williams wrote:

Trevor Dykes wrote:

Burrowing for worms is best left to the experts, Roberts; mammals and
relatives.  /Haldanodon/, a docodont from the Upper Jurassic of Portugal
known from skulls, jaws and a partial skeleton, seems to have had tendencies
towards worm-mining, though not to the degree of specialisation shown by
moles.


There's also _Fruitafossor_.  Maybe _Kryoryctes_ too.

Cheers

Tim

_________________________________________________________________
Get FREE company branded e-mail accounts and business Web site from Microsoft Office Live http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/mcrssaub0050001411mrt/direct/01/



Ronald Orenstein
1825 Shady Creek Court
Mississauga, ON L5L 3W2
Canada
905-820-7886
905-569-0116 fax
ron.orenstein@rogers.com