Re: Sauropods and those little heads

[Mark Sumner <range@inlink.com>]

On Thu, 26 Jun 1997, Michael wrote:
> Yes, they had small heads because they had small brains because they 
> had not evolved larger ones with neocortex. Period. This applys to 
> all dinosaurs, not just those with long necks.   

I think it's clear that there's a little more than brain size involved in
determining the size of a head.  After all, Giganotosaurus has a very
large head, and it's not a particularly brainy critter.  Heck, a cow has a
bigger head than me, and I would hope that I manage a slightly larger
brain. 
 
Clearly, all dinosaurs did -not- have small heads, or even small heads
relative to body size.  The very small heads of sauropods is a specialized
condition.  How such creatures reached this condition is well worth a
little speculation.

Mark Sumner