Re: Blood flow in Sauropods

[ornstn@inforamp.net (Ronald Orenstein)]

>When you look at the heights accessible, the advantage becomes obvious,
>NOTHING else at that time was browsing at that height as we have no
>fossils of arboreal bulk herbivores comparible to colobus monkeys from
>the Mesozoic.  Even if bird ancestors were arboreal, they were almost
>certainly insectivorous or frugivorous, not bulk herbivores.

Which raises a question that has always puzzled me.  Why are there no
sauropod analogues in Mammalia?  Is this just chance, or was there something
about the Mesozoic landscape that favoured the evolution of such huge,
long-necked creatures?

Of course there are no analogues to plesiosaurs, either (Loch Ness aside) or
Tanystropheus.  Maybe long necks were more fashionable then?
--
Ronald I. Orenstein                           Phone: (905) 820-7886 (home)
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