Re: Fwd: Re: New Study, T rex Could've Been A Scavenger

[David Marjanovic <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

HP Jura wrote... 
 
> Regardless of what Bakker, Paula and others have stated on the matter, 
> there is still no reason for _T.rex_ to not have been a bradymetabolic 
> "good reptile." Work by Nicholas Hotton, 
> James Farlow, James Spotila, Walter Auffenberg (to a lesser extent) 
> and others, have shown that a large bradymetabolic 
> animal can do just as well as a large tachymetabolic one. 
 
"Large" being the teeny tiny Komodo monitor. And I haven't read a rebuttal 
to HP GSP's idea that bradymetabolic animals are simply incapable of 
growing as fast as big dinosaurs did (remember our last discussion). 
 
> Some studies even show a general trend towards  
> bradymetabolism in larger animals 
 
True, but not true enough -- which is why an elephant still needs big 
ears, despite having lower metabolic rates per mass than a mouse. 
 
> (which makes sense, if the entire point  
> of being tachymetabolic is just to keep 
> warm).  
 
Well, it isn't. Who said it was? What exactly the point is is still not 
clear, but endurance looks like a good idea, as does brooding. 
        Apart from that gigantothermy doesn't work for pretty much 
anything with a shape different from a sea turtle's. 
 
> and statements about a lack of aerobic potential make no sense 
> either (carrier's constraint in many modern reptiles is do to anatomy,  
> not thermophysiology).  
 
For how long can a bipedal lizard run? Or a baby croc gallop? 

-- 
+++ GMX - Mail, Messaging & more  http://www.gmx.net +++
Bitte lächeln! Fotogalerie online mit GMX ohne eigene Homepage!