Dinosaurs, dragons, and dwarfs: The evolution of maximal body size

@article{Burness2001DinosaursDA,
  title={Dinosaurs, dragons, and dwarfs: The evolution of maximal body size},
  author={Gary Burness and Jared M. Diamond and Tim Fridtjof Flannery},
  journal={Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
  year={2001},
  volume={98},
  pages={14518 - 14523}
}
  • G. Burness, J. Diamond, T. Flannery
  • Published 27 November 2001
  • Environmental Science, Geography
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Among local faunas, the maximum body size and taxonomic affiliation of the top terrestrial vertebrate vary greatly. Does this variation reflect how food requirements differ between trophic levels (herbivores vs. carnivores) and with taxonomic affiliation (mammals and birds vs. reptiles)? We gathered data on the body size and food requirements of the top terrestrial herbivores and carnivores, over the past 65,000 years, from oceanic islands and continents. The body mass of the top species was… 
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