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[darwin dali]

I've always wondered what life would be like if dinosaurs hadn't been wiped out. Dinosaurs were reptiles, not the most social species. Would they have developed and become social? Intelligent? I don't think so. The meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs was our friend

Yay, small mammals

Even if the meteor didn't come along, the ice age would have done the same for most of them - especially the humungous cold-blooded ones.

They were just too big to survive the changes. Some smaller mammals, birds, reptiles and things survived, but the dinosaurs' size went against them.

In the climatic upheaval following the striking of the meteor in the Gulf of Mexico, the planet was shrouded in cold and dark, killing lots of plant life. The massive plant eaters (Sauropods) just couldn't survive on little pickings, and so that spelt doom for the big predators. The scavengers survived off the initial surplus of carcasses, but they soon vanished as well. Despite absolutely dominating the planet longer than anything else, their size was their downfall.

Problem with your hypothesis is that there were plenty of small-bodied dinosaurs roaming the land.

[LewEngBridewell]

I've always wondered what life would be like if dinosaurs hadn't been wiped out. Dinosaurs were reptiles, not the most social species. Would they have developed and become social? Intelligent? I don't think so. The meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs was our friend

Yay, small mammals

Even if the meteor didn't come along, the ice age would have done the same for most of them - especially the humungous cold-blooded ones.

They were just too big to survive the changes. Some smaller mammals, birds, reptiles and things survived, but the dinosaurs' size went against them.

In the climatic upheaval following the striking of the meteor in the Gulf of Mexico, the planet was shrouded in cold and dark, killing lots of plant life. The massive plant eaters (Sauropods) just couldn't survive on little pickings, and so that spelt doom for the big predators. The scavengers survived off the initial surplus of carcasses, but they soon vanished as well. Despite absolutely dominating the planet longer than anything else, their size was their downfall.

Problem with your hypothesis is that there were plenty of small-bodied dinosaurs roaming the land.

It depends if their food-source survived or not. And how quick to adapt they were. I suppose anyway...

[acosmichippo]

Or those smaller ones eventually evolved into birds and other reptiles.

[LewEngBridewell]

Or those smaller ones eventually evolved into birds and other reptiles.

[acosmichippo]

This discussion reminds me of this:

[youtube]xQrRg3LtjXY[/youtube]

[bud]

I've always wondered what life would be like if dinosaurs hadn't been wiped out. Dinosaurs were reptiles, not the most social species. Would they have developed and become social? Intelligent? I don't think so. The meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs was our friend

Yay, small mammals

Even if the meteor didn't come along, the ice age would have done the same for most of them - especially the humungous cold-blooded ones.

There were Dino's that lived in the polar regions who endured half a year of cold and darkness.

Dino's were around for hundreds of millions of years, they survived and adapted to many climatic changes, even the big KT event that wiped out all animals over roughly 3- 5kg they stuck around with small birds surviving.
In all reality if not for this event Mammals would still have been little shrews in the shadows. And we wouldn't be here.

[acosmichippo]

which is why I said "most" of them, and "especially the big cold-blooded ones". Never made any claims about mammals. But yeah, I agree our evolutionary tree would probably be a heck of a lot shorter.

[bud]

I wasn't arguing just commenting. It's still debatable what the metabolisms of the big sauropods had, i saw a tv show about it on nat geo or discovery where they cut across a fossil to see the growth patterns. They had similarities with cold and warm blooded growth patterns. It seems they had their own type of metabolism not seen in any living animal. I think it's safe to say without a doubt the feathered theropods were warm blooded just as birds are though.

[Hammer278]

The crocodile is I believe the closest cousin to the dinosaur...

Komodo Dragons even more so!

Crocodiles are very distant relatives of Dinosaurs, Komodos are Lizards and are even further back in the lineage than Crocodilians.

Think you guys need to read between the lines here, This thread is about Birds being dinosaurs not cousins like Crocodiles

I mean crocodiles have survived through the dinosaur era and still very much kicking at this stage. On a one on one fight between a huge croc and another beast, it is almost a sure thing that the croc will survive. Unless you get an anaconda fighting a croc on land, it has a chance to be the victor. And then die afterwards, when the dead croc splits the snake's stomach from within.

[bud]

I ate crocodile last night.

[darwin dali]

I ate crocodile last night.

I ate dinosaur the other night.

[Hammer278]

I ate crocodile last night.

Wait till it splits your tummy from within.

[bud]

I ate crocodile last night.

Wait till it splits your tummy from within.

he had company of the kangaroo variety in there, skippy will stop it from splitting it open

[andrew]

I ate crocodile last night.

Wait till it splits your tummy from within.

he had company of the kangaroo variety in there, skippy will stop it from splitting it open

Haven't had kangaroo for years. Can't get it over here despite it being rather tasty. Better than beef I'd say but I don't like beef.

[bud]

its meant to be lean red meat, not so much fat at all in it. Its rather tasty as well

maybe you could start a Roo farm on an empty glen?