Name: tamar c
Status: N/A
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: Around 1993
Question:
Why are today's land mammals so much smaller than prehistoric
mammals?
Replies:
Well, one possibility is due to competition for food. Large
animals need much more food than smaller ones to survive. So, in times of
food shortage, the large ones will not have enough to eat or will fight each
other for what is available and tend to die off faster than the smaller ones
which need relatively little to survive. Another possibility: availability
of shelter. Large animals have harder times finding shelter during storms,
winter freezes, and other natural catastrophes, while smaller animals can hide
much more easily.
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