Re: sauropods: homotherm,heterotherm or gigantotherm?

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

> In the water we have huge ectotherms like whale-shark...

Yes, but it doesn't even need to carry its own weight.

> On the other hand, mammals carnivores never gotten so big - the
> biggest is the killer whale with more or less 5 tonnes.

Doesn't the sperm whale count?

> The extinct cave bear could reach about 900 kg.

The "creodont" *Megistotherium* (literally "biggest beast") is said to have 
been bigger, and carnivorous (unlike the herbivorous cave bear). Then 
there's *Andrewsarchus*... The lack of sauropod-sized prey probably was a 
factor in preventing the evolution of terrestrial tyrannosaur-sized 
carnivorous mammals, though.