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Sectioned Dicynomole; The emergence of intelligence?
Topic Started: Nov 21 2009, 05:36 AM (900 Views)
KayKay
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Edited by KayKay, May 16 2010, 04:43 PM.
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Holben
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Are there any really big sauropod-analogues? If the landmass is small, cetiosaurus size would be max. If it was about britain sized, maybe diplodocus sized.
Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea.

"It is the old wound my king. It has never healed."
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KayKay
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The landmass is a bit smaller than China.

There weren't any sauropod-analogues at the K-T extinction, those died out before then due to the environment being unable to support their unusual breeding method.
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Carlos
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A magnificient essay, though there's this little gem that needs to be clarified:

Quote:
 
Pterosaurs were also in decline, and the birds were diversifying.


I honestly hope that you're reffering to your island landmass alone, or I've been talking to the walls a lot lately. As far as I noted though, all the pterosaurs that you showed in your project were non-pterodactyloids, so perhaps I'll assume that it was the long tailed forms that "declined"
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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KayKay
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Yes, that's correct I am referring exclusively to my island landmass. Most pterodactyloids at that stage were fly-in visitors from other continents. Any that had evolved on my landmass and survived up to that point were rhamphorhynchoids that had reduced tails.

A group that was still quite successful there were the wood-pecking rhamphorhynchoids.
Edited by KayKay, Nov 21 2009, 06:06 AM.
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Holben
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Wouldn't mainland pterosaurs interfere?
Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea.

"It is the old wound my king. It has never healed."
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KayKay
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Some did. Many larger rhamphorhynchoids were replaced by the visiting pterodactyloids. Most of the surviving rhamphorhynchoids were smaller insectivores living in trees, on large animals, around sources of water, etc.
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Holben
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Like modern birds?
Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea.

"It is the old wound my king. It has never healed."
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KayKay
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Edited by KayKay, May 16 2010, 04:44 PM.
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The Dodo
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Then how did they go into decline? Was it bird related or something else.
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KayKay
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Edited by KayKay, May 16 2010, 04:44 PM.
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Carlos
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Quote:
 
their advanced respitory system would have aided them through highly volcanic times (new volcanic mountains popping up on East coast), they had protective feathering to aid them in territorial battles.


Pterosaurs also had an air sac respiratory system, which was probably even superior to that of birds as it extended to the wings, and feathers are no more efficient for protection as picnofibrils were.

Perhaps a minor extinction event allowed pterosaur numbers to decline just about right to birds to prosper?
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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KayKay
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Edited by KayKay, May 16 2010, 04:44 PM.
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Carlos
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Probably a volcanic winter would screw up the environment for a while, and when things recovered birds and pterosaurs could attempt to regain their niches. Of course, this would have a tremendous effect on other species, but it fits with your scenario of dicynodont decline
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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Holben
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Which way is the landmass going during this time?
Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea.

"It is the old wound my king. It has never healed."
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