RE: Dinosaur with Guts

["R. Irmis" <rbi@dana.ucc.nau.edu>]

Too many wacky things can happen, especially with depositional environments.
The fact is that these tyrannosaurid elements are not even partially
articulated, and there isnt even a semblance of a rib cage.  I need more
association then that.  Furthermore, I cant fathom a good reason why the
tyrannosaur would be ingesting whole caudal vertebrae and parts of the front
of the skull.  The acid etching is very good evidence, but it doesnt amount
to conclusive proof in my book.  As pointed out on the list, bones from the
same quarry can have drastically different preservation  Im not saying this
isnt gut contents, I just need alot better evidence to say that it is.

Regards,
Randy Irmis

-----Original Message-----
From: Jaime A. Headden [mailto:qilongia@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 10:13 AM
To: dinosaur@usc.edu
Cc: rbi@dana.ucc.nau.edu
Subject: RE: Dinosaur with Guts


R. Irmis wrote [responding to Mickey's reporting what Varricchio
said]:

<I sorry...I should have thought of this fact.  Nevertheless, I
am still not convinced these are gut contents.>

  Why not?

  Is it possible tyrannosaurs were herbivorous?

  We know they ate meat, here's acid-etched hadrosaur vertebrae
and a jaw associated (two elements are contacting dorsal
vertebrae and ribs of the tyrannosaur, and all except a vert are
withing the circle of the tyrannosaur carcass, which is
deposited in a disarticulated but definable curl, and centered
around the trunk) with un-etched tyrannosaur elements.... There
is the likely conclusion, then the "I'm sorry, I don't feel
good" explanation [regurgitate]. There is the possibility it got
snatched from a more acidic environment, however the Two
Medicine/Judith River environments for preserving hign corrosive
pH levels as seen elsewhere has been produced by low-energy,
silt and sandstone depositing sediments as in the OTM site that
Varricchio describes. So how unlikely is it that the tyrannosaur
did not use this acid-etched carcass for food, and that the
etching was from low-pH stomach acids and digestive enzymes?

=====
Jaime A. Headden

  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhr-gen-ti-na
  Where the Wind Comes Sweeping Down the Pampas!!!!

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