Re: Carnivore Energetics: Why Are Lions Not As Big As Elephants?

[Sim Koning <simkoning@msn.com>]

I understand, but my point was about the fact that the article said the 
reason giant theropods got so big was because they had slower metabolic 
rates

"The authors also note that the largest terrestrial non-mammalian predators, 
such as Giganotosaurus and Tyrannosaurs, may have achieved their massive 
size by having a lower metabolic rate"

so my question is if that?s the only reason, why couldn?t mammals do the 
same? Which is to say I think there is more to it than just the metabolic 
rates of the predator, which seems to be what everyone else is saying.

"What is a slow predator but a prey food for something faster? "

I?m afraid I don?t understand your point, larger predators can compensate 
for their lack of speed with greater strength. I wouldn?t think dromaeosaurs 
would be capable of killing a T. rex just because they are faster.

> From: "Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>
> Reply-To: qilongia@yahoo.com
> To: simkoning@msn.com
> CC: dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: Re: Carnivore Energetics: Why Are Lions Not As Big As Elephants?
> Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2007 20:13:39 -0800 (PST)
>
> Sim Koning (simkoning@msn.com) wrote:
>
> <Maybe I?m asking a dumb question, but if that?s the case, couldn?t 
> mammalian
> predators evolve slower metabolic rates and achieve the same mass as a T. 
> rex?>
>
>   What is a slow predator but a prey food for something faster? Mammals 
> don't
> currently need to get bigger to munch on the biggest herbivores, since in 
> many
> cases, they compensate for having pack groups that increase success in 
> making
> kills, and thus render size a non-issue. Further, large mammals avoid 
> predators
> in size, but the downshot is that to do so, they decrease offspring 
> production,
> and that is further offset by survivability of offspring. This is true even 
> of
> whales and elephants, both of which are targeted prey choices.
>
>   Cheers,
>
> Jaime A. Headden
> http://bitestuff.blogspot.com/
>
> "Innocent, unbiased observation is a myth." --- P.B. Medawar (1969)
>
>
>
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