If I knew how to poll here I’d make it a poll but…
Which farted more (releasing the most methane into the air)… today’s cattle or the dinosaurs from the past? ??? 
I’m pretty sure homebrewers have them both beat.
:D Yeh, but I’d hate to have been a caveman standing downwind of a T-Rex after it had eaten some half rotted meat and gassed off though. :o
Are you implying that global warming was caused by dinosaurs?
Well, thank you for making me google “methane content flatus carnivore vs herbivore” first thing in the morning.
Couple of interesting points to consider before calculating gross pounds of dino flesh vs. steak over time:
- Carnivore/Herbivore mix and estimated methane content of each
- Diet (leafy green vs. grain)
- Ruminant vs. Single Stomach
- Domesticated vs. Wild (differences not accounted for by diet)
- Other biological differences in digestion between avian/reptile and mammal
- What microbes lived with the dinosaurs?
Any answer you come up with is going to rely heavily on a large number of assumptions. Not that it’s a bad thing or pointless, but it’d be interesting to compare estimated results to what we actually know from empirical evidence if we have any.
Here’s a couple of interesting tidbits (http://www.springerlink.com/content/n5171l64625lq6l1/)
[quote]The predominant methanogen in all except the chicken and turkey is species of Methanobrevibacterium. The chicken and turkey harbour species of Methanogenium.
[/quote]
[quote]Methane production by monogastric animals is lower than methane production by ruminants. However, methane production by large herbivorous monogastric animals such as horses, mules and asses is substantial (up to 80 l per animal per day). Methane production by rodents and avians is low. In general, methane production by wild animals is lower than methane production by domestic animals. It is concluded that the contribution of monogastric animals to the global methane emission is negligible, as it only represent about 5% of the total methane emission by domestic and wild animals of 80 Tg per year.
[/quote]
thanks nate, now my head hurts
Can you imagine the largest dinosaurs letting go (when I was a fifth grader I could remember most of the dinosaurs names, its been downhill since then though ;D )… it might have sounded like incoming or rolling thunder! :o :D Hmm… the first hairdryer?
Everyone knows global warming is caused by pirates.
And what about if they let go too close to a volcano?
Maybe someone can share with us
How long dino saurs were here on Earth…offgassing
vs
How long domestic cattle have been grumbling around?
A sence of time and its scale
is sometimes helpful when putting our world in perspective. 
As silly as this discussion is, it actually has merit. I am a little puzzled by the pirate connection to GW, but I’ve heard crazier ideas.
You boys are silly.
Nothing could be more straightforward:
The connection between piracy and global temperatures is irrefutable.
Arrrrrrgh!
Come to think of it… those dozen or so Somali Pirates have been pretty active and in the news a lot over the last decade. :o
MMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
[quote]Nothing could be more straightforward:
[/quote]
Who am I to dispute anything from the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster? ;D
Those damn cows are destroying the environment!
I say lets kill them all and eat them!!!
I’m starting tomorrow afternoon with a couple of T-Bones ;D