Re: Speculative dino species

["Andy Farke" <andyfarke@hotmail.com>]

This is a very interesting thread. . .I initially was going to dismiss it as
pseudoscientific babble, but it has the potential for some good dialogue on
terrestrial evolution.

A few comments to add to what HP Holtz and others have said:

1) What changes would have been initiated by new vegetation? Correct me if
I'm wrong, mammals evolved unique dental characters in response to the
advent of grasslands--e.g., horses. Something to consider is how
ornithischians and sauropods would have been affected. Would the
hypsilophodont mouth really be equipped to deal with grasses? What about
ceratopsians and hadrosaurs, with their dental batteries?

2) Evolution does not necessarily have a "destiny." You probably are not
going to have a one-to-one correspondance between modern mammalian analogues
and "modern dinosaurs." As HP Marjanovic pointed out, the mammals very well
might have retained the "little furball" niche. And as for the evolution of
sentient dinosaurs. . .the evolution of intelligence in humans may have been
in response to a very special set of events (climate change, etc.). This
isn't to say that it wouldn't have evolved otherwise. . .but something to
consider, at least.

3) I like HP Benson's idea of therizinosaurs inheriting the earth. . .that's
one group of dinosaurs I really would have liked to survive the extinction.
;-)

Andy
_______________________________
Andrew A. Farke
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
501 East St. Joseph Street
Rapid City, SD  57701

andyfarke@hotmail.com