What necessity drove Xenoposeidon's feeding behavior regarding ingestion rate?
Answer
Necessity for high throughput due to poor single-bite efficiency
Due to its colossal size and the relatively low digestive efficiency conferred by its cropping dentition, Xenoposeidon needed to consume food at an astonishing rate to maintain its mass. This emphasized the need for high throughput—getting food into the system and moving it rapidly through the digestive tract. This imperative meant that the rate of ingestion became the critical factor driving its feeding behavior, prioritizing the sheer quantity of plant matter moved over the efficiency of extracting nutrients from any individual bite.
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