RE: Brooding rex? (was Feathers for T. rex)

["Ken Kinman" <kinman@hotmail.com>]

Tim Williams wrote:
> Agreed - but my point was to torpedo the "rule" that meat-eaters generally 
> have few offspring, and plant-eaters have many off-spring.
******************************************
    Should probably be more careful what you aim your torpedoes at.  I'm 
not saying there are any hard and fast rules.
    However, raptorial birds like hawks, eagles, and owls, usually have 
clutches of 2-4 eggs.  Many common prey species (like grouse, ducks, 
pheasants, etc.) have larger clutches more like 5-15 eggs (or more).  I see 
no reason that trends among early coelurosaurs (predators vs. prey) would 
have been much different (but again there would be exceptions to such 
trends).
          --------- Ken Kinman
P.S.  I actually live close to a farm, and chickens seem to be prolific egg 
layers (not that I am going to base any biological hypotheses on farm 
animals).


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