Re: [Sails, heat, and sex [Re: Suchomimus prey?]]

[archosaur@usa.net]

jconrad@lib.drury.edu wrote:

It is interesting to compare _Baryonyx_ with _Suchomimus_.  The two
> are incredibly similar in overall form, but _Baryonyx_ has that nice big
> sail.  These two animals are from *about* the same time and their similarity
> suggests that a land bridge between Europe and Africa was present or only
> recently departed.  This may be the variation you are searching for, might
> even be the feature that arose in genetic isolation that later lead to
> behavioural mating isolation between the two genera.  

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While I don't think that Bary and Sucho were just sexually dimorphic (Bary
also having that raised ridge on it's head & a shorter, less gharial like
snout), I do find the latter idea interesting. 

Spinosauroids starting off sail less and semi-piscivorous with at least one
genus becoming (skull wise) mainly piscivorous and growing a sail.

Course we are still left with the nagging question of: What causes selection
for sails in the first place?

Fun with spinosaurs

Archosaur J


Jurassosaurus's Reptipage: A page devoted to the study of the reptilia

http://members.tripod.com/~jurassosauridae/index.html

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