Re: cause of Gigantism in sauropods

[Don Ohmes <d_ohmes@yahoo.com>]

The notion that the measurement of average prey/predator size ratio in 
today's world delineates as a matter of scientific principle a null 
hypothesis about the behavioral interaction between giant sauropods and 
giant theropods is just that -- a notion, otherwise known as an opinion.

The laws of physics directly constrain certain activities (e.g., 
locomotion, bite force), and data from extant animals can indeed form a 
null, but this principle does not extend to behavior.

Alligators are tactically capable of eating people, but statistically 
rarely do -- taking that data to form a null hypothesis about the 
behavior of the similarly capable Nile Crocodile, or even individual 
alligators, is unlikely to prove useful.

The data, both extant and fossil, tell us that -- 1) giant theropod jaws 
could encompass the necks of even very large sauropods, 2) bite force 
was such that one full-on bite to any portion of the neck and head was 
likely to be mortal, 3) the mobility of the giant theropods on hard, 
flat ground was (barring anomalous and unexpected giant sauropod 
locomotive capability) overwhelmingly superior, and 4) the likely 
relative nutritional requirements of the respective morphologies meant 
that time was very much on the theropod's side in any protracted engagement.

Ignoring tactical capacity on grounds of conjectured behavioral 
limitations when evaluating the possible evolutionary paths by which 
this coeval morphological couplet came into full flower is neither 
useful nor "scientific".