Re: Fw: late night thoughts: misunderstand what?

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Andreas Johansson wrote:

> Which beginning? Tyrannosaurs achieved gigantism independently from
> allosaurs, for a start. Where there any really large sauro's around
> when the tyrants grew big?

Not unless you include _Alamosaurus_ - which was pretty ordinary by sauropod 
standards.

Hadrosaurs and ceratopsians had certainly achieved large body size by the 
end of the Cretaceous.  There was a considerable overlap in body mass 
between Late Cretaceous titanosaurs and hadrosaurs.  The biggest land 
herbivores in North America during this time were probably hadrosaurs.  This 
might have been true for Asia too; but not South America.

Also, we have actual evidence of tyrannosaur predation upon hadrosaurs.  The 
caudal vertebra of an _Edmontosaurus_ skeleton shows a scar most likely 
inflicted by a _Tyrannosaurus_.  The wound shows evidence of healing - so 
the edmontosaur was alive before and after the attack.

Sorry if I'm repeating something that was already said.

Cheers

Tim

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