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Palaeontology

Did egg-laying cause dinosaur extinction ?

By T.K. Randall
April 19, 2012 · Comment icon

16 comments

Image Credit: Gerhard Boeggemann

Scientists have suggested that egg-laying may have been a factor in the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Scientists including University of Zurich's Marcus Clauss believe that a key factor was the limitation egg-laying imposed on the size of the infants upon birth, the young dinosaurs were forced to compete with adults of smaller species for food as they grew up. "That was not a problem for 150 million years but as soon as something happens that takes away all the large species so that only small species remain, if there are no small species to remain you are gone as a whole group," said Clauss.

Given physical limitations to egg size, dinosaurs had comparatively small young. Some came out of the egg weighing as little as two to 10 kilograms, yet had to bulk up to a hefty 30 or 50 tonnes.

Source: Telegraph | Comments (16)

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Recent comments on this story

#7 Posted by Lady Llayne 12 years ago

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/dinosaurs/9182732/Weird-and-wonderful-dinosaur-theories-of-recent-times.html

#8 Posted by tailormaneinafog 12 years ago

I like it. It fits with my own ideas perfectly.

#9 Posted by Conrad Clough 12 years ago

Whats so hard to understand about this concept? How about: the fact that the dinosaurs, large and small were successful for ~180 million years with out going extinct, and during all that time they were egg layers. the fact that this 'theory' doesn't address the other extinctions that happened at the same time such as mass microbe and marine invertabrate extinctions, the extinction most of the marine reptiles (which while also egg layers would likely not have faced the same environmental pressures given the vastness of the oceans), and a general decline in diversity of fish and insects. the fac... [More]

#10 Posted by Englishgent 12 years ago

How about: the fact that the dinosaurs, large and small were successful for ~180 million years with out going extinct, and during all that time they were egg layers. the fact that this 'theory' doesn't address the other extinctions that happened at the same time such as mass microbe and marine invertabrate extinctions, the extinction most of the marine reptiles (which while also egg layers would likely not have faced the same environmental pressures given the vastness of the oceans), and a general decline in diversity of fish and insects. the fact that there are still egg laying creatures on e... [More]

#11 Posted by Englishgent 12 years ago

I like it. It fits with my own ideas perfectly. Oh well, something you can now add to your latest theories. Keep them coming

#12 Posted by Hilander 12 years ago

I have a hard time believing that.

#13 Posted by catfishyeah 12 years ago

Dinosaurs aren't extinct, they live under the ocean.

#14 Posted by Erudite Celt 12 years ago

The only problem with the theory is that the overwhelming majority of dinosaurs were smaller than a modern sheep. The other anomaly I find with these theories is that reptiles and mammals don't usually compete for the same resources. So why should one out-compete the other?

#15 Posted by Paracelse 12 years ago

Last week dino extincted because they farted too much, now it's because they egged too much what will it be next time? They all became vegans and overgrazed the planet?

#16 Posted by Conrad Clough 12 years ago

The fact is Dinosaurs are not extinct at all, I can hear one singing outside my window as I type this.

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