tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post5923865035791918271..comments2024-03-26T18:57:05.676-06:00Comments on The Coastal Paleontologist: Was Pelagiarctos a “killer” walrus? Part 1: Sharktooth Hill PinnipedsRobert Boesseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-41301866052117600092014-11-14T16:20:55.936-07:002014-11-14T16:20:55.936-07:00We sure do - my colleague Morgan Churchill and oth...We sure do - my colleague Morgan Churchill and others have just published a paper on Cope's Rule in pinnipeds, and there's an estimate of Pontolis body size within. Here's the link:<br />http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evo.12560/abstractRobert Boesseneckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-71174503568299519982014-11-09T09:24:49.555-07:002014-11-09T09:24:49.555-07:00Hello Robert
Do we have any estimate for the tota...Hello Robert<br /><br />Do we have any estimate for the total length and body mass of Pontolis Magnus?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-29120387572385685692013-01-18T02:10:29.770-07:002013-01-18T02:10:29.770-07:00Hey Doug -
I don't actually recall receiving...Hey Doug - <br /><br />I don't actually recall receiving said email - it may have been an unusually busy week and was buried and subsequently forgotten. I do know that at least one or two of my email addresses never receive a number of emails, so if I don't respond ever, wait a couple days and try again!<br /><br />You're right on the money there. Science is about being honest and testing hypotheses, even if it's a really cool hypothesis. Someone could probably make the same hypothesis if you only had skulls and jaws of Steller Sea Lions - which are equally robust.<br /><br />That's another point we bring up in the paper, regarding a mollusk specialist preying upon birds and even seals occasionally. But, that's the subject for a sequel to this post. Robert Boesseneckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04157434108254005433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953405279736337089.post-28731460471170161452013-01-17T20:04:27.489-07:002013-01-17T20:04:27.489-07:00i once emailed you about those amateur spots. Neve...i once emailed you about those amateur spots. Never heard back. But no sweat, you looked like you had a million things going on.<br /><br />Well that kinda sucks but science is science. Looking at the robust jaws and teeth, you could probably make the same argument for the elephant seal being a voracious hunter of other marine mammals. I guess it's back to sharks and whales being the big nasty predators.<br /><br />I have this little book that i got when i was a kid on marine life. In one section it describes and account by a Russian sailing crew of a walrus attacking and eating a narwhal. And there is a paper out there about observations of walruses occasionally catching and eating Thick-billed Murres. Who knew the docile and funny looking walrus was capable of such blood lust!Doughttp://accpaleo.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com