Re: Did sauropods suckle? (likely no)

["Matthew Bonnan" <mbonnan@hotmail.com>]

Richard Travsky said:

"What kind of diet could result in such a weight gain? The little thing
woud have to be continuously eating Mass Quantities. I mean without
breaks. The food would have to be really nutritious or the digestion
really efficient."

Well, good question.  Nobody knows.  You've got these giant plant eaters and 
relatively poor nutrients in the plants they've got to eat: gymnospermous 
plants, at least the kinds around today, are not very nutritious and 
sometimes contain many kinds of toxins.  Sauropods didn't chew their food 
(Jurassic Park notwithstanding) so they were gulping it down, more or less, 
and apparently letting their gizzard and intestines (perhaps with the help 
of stomach stones (gastroliths)) do the rest.  Maybe they could eat fast 
enough and take breaks because they weren't chewing.

However, this is one of the big mysteries of the Jurassic.  Why is it that 
before flowering plants, which are more nutritious and regrow very fast, 
that you have these giant herbivores walking around?  Gigantism in sauropods 
is probably tied to many factors, including diet, climate, physiology, etc.

Many people are interested in the Cretaceous stuff, but this is why the 
Jurassic period is so much more interesting to me: why all the giants?  Why 
before flowering plants? etc.????

As for the suckling suggestion, I assume you're kidding in a frustrated sort 
of way??? =)  Although I'm up for trying sauropod milk: kinda like 
Weight-Gainer 3000.  BEEFCAKE!  Can you imagine how many calories that would 
be if it were true??????  50,000 per serving??????

"How the heck was it done?"

I wonder myself!  I am confident, however, that it was done without 
resorting to the disgusting mammalian practice of modifying sweat glands 
into milk producing glands.  Ewwww!

Matt Bonnan

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