Posted on 09/17/2005 3:35:39 AM PDT by SeaLion
Pelicans look like pterodactyls.
Mr. Praline: 'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e
rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed 'im to the perch 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the
bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!!
Undoubtedly due to human interference with the atmosphere prior to the Mesozoic...
This, by no means implies that T-Rex was not a predator. Built for speed or not, because of his size, the T-Rex still had a longer stride than many of his contemporaries and could probably still outrun many. Also, the same predator = speed reasoning would sort of imply that rabbits might be predators because they are built for speed.
Another point made in the program is that T-Rex's arms are so small and don't lend themselves to grabbing and holding a meal.
With jaws the size of a T-Rex's, I think that is a moot point. Dogs, wolves don't really have 'grabbing' capability either, but they are certainly predators. It's all in the bite.
A predator doesn't have to be a great runner. He just needs to be able to run faster than his intended prey. The larger herbivores were not built for speed
It's hard to roll those barrels over a guard rail.
C'mon now. At least he didn't post another Helen Thomas pic!
Some ten or fifteen years ago, Gregory Paul published a magnificent book on predatory dinosaurs, in which all but the largest carnosaurs were depicted as being feathered. He said in his introduction that, unless the evidence proves otherwise, he would continue to portray his smaller theropods as being feathered, because he felt the evidence of their being endothermic and their close relationship with modern birds demanded it. Luckily for him, he seems to have been proven right.
as I posted last week (or so) - has anyone given thought to the CAMOUFLAGE value feathers confer? I'm certain that early feather-like adaptations of scales would have had greater impact on pattern disruption than as thermal insulation.
think camouflage, not thermal insulation.
highly invaginated and densely layered surfaces disrupt an object's outline and eat up light far more effectively than do smooth surfaces with the same pigmentation and pattern.
I believe these folks are missing a trick when they jump straight to thermal insulation for an explanation.
let's try it for (possibly) color-blind predators:
True. But I'd look like quite the idiot if I pinged the evolution list for the same article all over again.
false statement.
What predators other than other colour-sighted dinosaurs (assuming they like their bird ancestors were color-sighted,)
preyed on adult dinosaurs?
Not directly related as they weren't around yet but
Canines are not colour-sighted, how about felines?
No it isn't. In order to evolve, a species would have to add characteristics. That's the whole idea behind evolution theory. From a single cell to lungs and eyeballs, brains fingers, feet, toes, arms and legs. That's addition not subtraction.
In fact, Everything on the earth is de-volving, not evolving.
your statement:
"Evolution theory also requires that the species improve, or add characteristics."
this is false. The theory of evolution does not *require* that species *improve* OR *add* characteristics.
The theory of evolution explains how some species, through mutation and selection, become better adapted to their changing environments as well as how other species, through mutation and selection, become MALADAPTED to their changing environments.
The theory of evolution explains how some species, through mutation and selection, add characteristics as well as how other species, through mutation and selection, LOSE chartacteristics.
for more detail, I now turn you over to Ichneumon's care.
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