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Re: Mesozoic birds made insects shrink



Surely there were a lot of non-flying creatures also eating insects during the 
Mesozoic? Large flying 
insects would have had to land on something eventually, and I suspect they'd be 
more vulnerable 
to predation by non-volant critters while at rest than they'd be to any volant 
predator of the time 
while on the wing.

Even if large flying insects rested high up in trees, lizards and mammals were 
probably climbing 
long before upstart theropods (volant or otherwise) decided 'me too'. Even fish 
are no slouches 
when it comes to preying on insects resting on branches overhanging the water, 
whether leaping 
for them or using aquatic artillery (archer fish fossils are known from the 
Cretaceous).

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Dann Pigdon
Spatial Data Analyst               Australian Dinosaurs
Melbourne, Australia               http://home.alphalink.com.au/~dannj
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