Re: Speculative dinosaur species

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

>If we are doing a speculative scenario with no KT event, we mustn't forget
the Marine reptiles.  maybe Mosasaurs invade freshwater enviroments,
evolving into forms filling >the niches of todays crocodiles.  Meanwhile,
their marine relative get even more serpentine and sea serpent like.  Maybe
filterfeeding pliosaurs will evolve?
Perhaps crocodiles and champsosaurs and other critters would have just
stayed in that niche. . .

But this brings me to another question. . .would animals similar to otters
and beavers have evolved? My personal feeling is that they would have, once
the climate started to cool down. I don't see crocodilians sticking around
in the northern U.S. and Canada. Perhaps the small aquatic critters niche is
one that the mammals would have successfully exploited.

>>>Whatever they were eating, having a better grade of foodstuff become
available might well have lead to a strong sauropod resurgence<<
>I agree here.  Titanosaurs perhaps migrating up from the Panama canal?

The insular nature of Australia and South America would have made for some
interesting things. Would we have seen hypsilophodonts take over in
Australia? And as for South America--this could have been the hotbed for
sauropod evolution. With the advent of the grasslands down there, we could
have seen all sorts of neat developments. Probably some interesting small
predators adapted to that environment, too. So when North and South America
are reconnected, you'd have some pretty major changes in the North American
fauna. Maybe the end of the therizinosaurs?

Andy

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

andyfarke@hotmail.com

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

andyfarke@hotmail.com