Re: Alvarezsaurid arms was Re: JFC-Bloodiest Battle ??

[Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>]

There is of course always the possibility that Alvarezsaur forelimbs weren't 
used for feeding 
behaviours at all. It's possible they were used primarily for intraspecific 
wrestling matches, like an 
archosaurian kangaroo. 

Fighting for social dominance or access to mates can be just as important as 
eating - in fact 
sometimes more important. Antechinus males expend so much energy fighting other 
males and 
mating with females (for up to twelve hours at a time!) that they don't have 
enough time to eat 
properly, and so rarely live as long as a year. They even go as far as 
supressing their immune 
system and converting vital proteins into food so as to maximise their 
short-term energy output.


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Dann Pigdon
GIS / Archaeologist              http://geo_cities.com/dannsdinosaurs
Melbourne, Australia             http://heretichides.soffiles.com
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