Posted by mike on July 02, 2001 at 23:36:35:
In Reply to: ab growth rates posted by CalAbDiver on July 02, 2001 at 12:35:24:
There is generally some sort of allometric slowing of size increase with increasing size and age in individual animals (plants may be opposite). That an ab would continue an arithmetic 1/2" increase in size year after year doesn't jibe. It seems to me that a 13 incher could be much older than 26 yrs, as the biomass (and food to create and sustain it) required to sustain a 1/2" size increase would be geometrically larger with each passing year..an arithmetic increase in length is begotten by a geometric increase in volume. Does this Rocky Daniels fellow have a web page? Is he a zoologist or is his information second hand?