Re: Sauropod necks

[B.Dol@skn.sc.philips.com]

> Has anyone ever heard of a theory explaining the lengthening of some
> sauropods' necks as an adaptation for obtaining foliage within forests?
> 
> Since sauropods couldn't venture into dense conifer forests because of
> their size, some may have poked their neck into forests (while standing
> along the perimeter) to reach undisturbed foliage.

I know some sauropods were much larger than elefants, but I do not 
think their large size prevented them from venturing into the 
forests. Elefants (and rhinos) do this and as a result destroy large 
pieces of the local vegetation. This, of course, is not as 
destructive as it sounds as it gives other plants the opportunity to 
grow and a new cycle of forest regrowth is initiated. It also seems 
to me that they would not gain much using this technique, but then we 
should also have to know how the forests really looked. Where they so 
dens that they really couldn't venture into them? How large were the 
trees? (otherwise they still would have to reach over them still 
severly limiting their range) And how wide were the trees? (if they 
had a very wide canopy extending the neck over or through the trees 
might not even get them to the next tree...)
> 
> Alternatively, the long neck may have enabled the sauropod to eat soft
> pteridophytes (horsetails, club mosses, and ferns) that lived primarily
> in wet areas; they couldn't venture into the wet area, but could browse
> from firm ground.

This seems to me more logical use for the long neck than in the situation
mentioned above. I'm still more inclined to think that if the 
sauropods were evolving the long necks just to be able to reach for the next
tree they would not have evolved to such a large size that they couldn't
venture into the forest anymore.

But these are just some thoughts from the lunatic fringe and, hey, 
it's Monday so I have a lot of excuses for being wrong. Let's see what the 
list-members have to say about this.