Re: cause of Gigantism in sauropods

[Don Ohmes <d_ohmes@yahoo.com>]

On 2/10/2011 4:26 PM, Raptorial Talon wrote:
> If the skin itself is exerting significant resistance to the
> penetration of the teeth, then I don't see how this is relevant.

If indeed.

Please note that any force transmitted by the sauropod to the theropod 
through the teeth effectively increases the bite force.

If certain sauropods developed specific defenses against biting on the 
base of the neck, that alone is evidence that they were being bitten.

> then it
> seems to me a firm chokehold with gripping teeth would make more sense
> than the more slicing-oriented morphology we see in most large
> theropod teeth.

And it seems to me that slicing is just what is needed.

That said -- once again, a post on the topic of whether giant theropods 
_could_ kill giant sauropods, and relatively easily at that, has morphed 
into a "debate" about whether theropods _did_ kill giant sauropods, or 
were "likely" to have killed them regularly, or whatever.

As that is an entirely different subject, and one I do not see as a 
topic I can make a useful contribution to, I will let you have the last 
word.