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Post by dividavi on Mar 7, 2023 18:05:59 GMT
Here's an article from Live Science discussing that topic. If you've ever wondered why present animals are smaller than in past times, here's why:
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Post by President Ackbar™ on Mar 7, 2023 18:08:39 GMT
that's not why
when the earth was hotter, animals were able to allocate calories towards growth instead of body heat
there were giant animals everywhere, and not a human in sight
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Post by dividavi on Mar 7, 2023 19:38:25 GMT
that's not why when the earth was hotter, animals were able to allocate calories towards growth instead of body heat there were giant animals everywhere, and not a human in sight You may be correct, at least partially, but the evidence suggests otherwise. Take the case of the hyena, a predator presently restricted to Arabia and sub-Sahara Africa. Wikipedia says this about ice-age hyenas, creatures very much large than present day hyenas: Beavers during the Ice Age were vastly larger (250 pounds) than present day beavers. Ancient New Zealand penguins are estimated at 340 pounds. Ice Age Mammoths are bigger than present day elephants. The dominant creatures of New Zealand and Madagascar were huge birds (called Moa and Elephant Birds) but they're gone too, mostly because of human interaction. Then there are the slow moving Saber Tooth Tigers and Ground Sloths who perished because of humans. See the Slate article |
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