Dino fans everywhere wish that dinosaurs were still with us - how spectacular that would be! A fundamental aspect of the eternal fascination with dinosaurs is the nearly unbelievable fact that such fantastic creatures actually existed - yet, sadly, are no longer with us. It's a tragic irony that even as we obsess about extinct dinosaurs - even conjuring best-selling books and movies fantasizing the possibilities of resurrecting them (Jurassic Park...), we could soon lose forever two of the modern day giants that most closely echo the dinosaurs = the rhinoceros and elephant. Unless extraordinary action is taken, we may witness the extinction of these magnificent creatures in our lifetime - leaving future generations to experience rhinos and elephants only in museums - just as extinct as the dinosaurs....
Rhinos and elephants represent two of the closest modern ecological "analogies" to two of the largest dinosaur groups:
The Rhinoceros: today's largest "horned" animal is strongly analogous to the prehistoric horned "ceratopsians", represented by the likes of Triceratops, Centrosaurus, Styracosaurus.
The Elephant: today's most massive land animal is analogous to the most massive prehistoric land animal, the long necked "sauropods", famously represented by Apatosaurus, Argentinosaurus, Brontosaurus, Diplodocus, Mamenchisaurus, Seismosaurus.
A prehistoric horned dinosaur, Styracosaurus (left) compared to a modern horned "dinosaur", the black rhinoceros (not to scale: Styracosaurus was 30% larger than a modern rhino)
Modern rhinos occupy the same ecological niche as did the horned ceratopsians of the Mesozoic period, and possess similar anatomy: herbivorous, massive bodied, stout legged quadrupeds specialized for grazing low, ground-based vegetation. The large single or double nasal horn of rhinos is used primarily for combat with rival rhinos, just as the horns of ceratopsian dinosaurs were likely used in engagements between rivals of the same species. However, just as rhinos will not hesitate to also use their horns as potentially lethal weapons against foolish predators, such as lions; ceratopsian dinos likely also used their horns to fend-off predators, such as tyrannosaurs, if provoked.
Modern elephants occupy the same ecological niche as did the enormous "vegisaurus" sauropods of the Mesozoic period: both represent the largest land animals of their respective times, herbivorous with enormous guts and special adaptations for browsing mid to high-level foliage (trees), quadrupedal with massive, tree-like limbs. The feet of sauropods are so structurally similar to those of elephants that they are often referred to as being "elephant-like" or "elephantine".
In effect, the sauropods took the elephant body-plan to the next level: like elephants on steroids. Huge torsos evolved to contain enormous "guts", or stomachs. In the case of the long-necked, massive-bodied sauropods, large stomachs were an advantage, due to the poor nutritional quality of much of the Mesozoic vegetation. Sauropods needed to eat and store a LOT of vegetation in order to obtain sufficient nutrition: high quantity to compensate for low quality. The evolutionary solution was the huge stomach, which in turn manifested a massive body to house it.
As bodies became ever larger, sauropod necks became longer to access more food sources with less energy: it's easier to move a neck - like a crane - than having to move an entire, gigantic body, to reach food. For prehistoric sauropod dinosaurs, evolving long necks was a specialization to access food without engaging their excessively large bodies. Similarly, elephants evolved long trunks as a specialization to reach sources of food without engaging their excessively large bodies. Voila! Almost identical solutions to similar problems (gigantism), but achieved via two very different anatomical devices: the modern long trunk
and the prehistoric long neck.
And that elephant trunk! Elephant trunks can reach 7 feet in length. Not only can elephants raise their long trunks to reach high foliage, they can also rear up onto their hind legs to reach even higher foliage. With a 7 foot trunk raised and a body length averaging 18-21 feet in length, the reach of an adult African elephant standing on its hind legs can reach leaves well over 20 feet above the ground - exceeding even the reach of the giraffe - the world's tallest animal in natural pose (not standing on hind legs!).
The tallest giraffes can attain heights over 19 feet at the top of their horns. Unfortunately, this third living "dinosaur" giant - the giraffe - is also on a path to extinction. A recent report by the Red List of Endangered Species has found a decline of 40% in the population of remaining giraffes in the wild since the 1980s; the result of a "silent extinction" caused by a combination of illegal hunting and ongoing increases in African farmland.
Due to their long necks, giraffes are the modern animal most commonly compared to the long necked dinosaurs, the sauropods. And this is justified, since the long necks and vegetarian lifestyle of giraffes are very similar to the neck physiology and diets of sauropods. But the relatively thin and lanky legs of giraffes are nothing like the heavy "tree-trunk" limbs of sauropod dinosaurs. It's the elephant that has the heft of body and massive legs most closely matching the sauropods.
And with its long trunk, the vegetarian elephant completes the elephant-sauropod analogy, since the extraordinary length of the trunk functionally mimics the long necks of the sauropods, in reaching foliage far above the ground. And for that matter, ON the ground: the tall stature of both elephants and sauropod dinosaurs share the common problem of not easily reaching the ground for ground-based foliage. Sauropods solved the problem by lowering their long necks, elephants solve the problem by using their long and dangling trunks. In fact, if we could merge the long necks of giraffes with the bodily heft of elephants we would have a true modern analogy to the extinct sauropods - lacking only the long sauropod tail.
Today we are faced with the very real possibility of witnessing the extinction of three of today's living "dinosaurs", the rhino, elephant and giraffe. Most horrific of all is the ongoing brutal and barbaric practice of illegal poachers slaughtering rhinos and elephants just for their horns and tusks, respectively. After removing its nasal horn, a rhino is left to succumb to a slow death. And although technically tusks are "just" an elephants elongated teeth, the elephant must be killed to remove the tusks.
Saving these magnificent beasts is a just and urgent cause for its own sake: it's essential to save ANY animal from extinction. Especially if mankind is solely responsible and to blame for a species possible permanent demise.
But, due to the magnificent ecological and anatomical parallels between modern rhinos, elephants and giraffes on one hand, and the extinct dinosaurs on the other hand; saving these modern giants should take on extraordinary significance to dinosaur enthusiasts, fans, followers, and experts alike!
Please show your support for today's "living dinosaurs" by ending the atrocities...the senseless, brutal slaughter of rhinos and elephants by illegal poachers seeking to supply dubious markets for rhino horns and elephant ivory, in addition to the illegal hunting of giraffes. It's these markets, and the poachers that supply them, that must become extinct!!!
On Saturday, September 24, 2016 thousands of participants in over 100 cities around the world joined hearts for the International March for Rhinos and Elephants event.
For ongoing support, please contact http://www.96elephants.org/
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