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Re: T-Rex a Scavenger?!? (fwd)
You wrote:
> On Tue, 29 Nov 1994, Stan Friesen wrote:
> >
> > Yes, but mostly only as a last resort, when cornered or surrounded.
> > They all prefer to run away if possible.
>
> Hrm. Not all horn-bearing herbivores prefer to run away. Think of the
> domestic bull. Or the rhino. These are creatures that can do huge damage
> with a charge . . . and they will.
I believe that the domestic bull *will* run from ordinary predators,
it is just too used to hmans to think of them that way.
Still, your point is well taken, there are exceptions.
>
> Further rank speculation: Few targets would stand up to such an attack. A
> predator of any size, charged by, say, Triceratops, would flee. The
> occasional slow or unlucky victim that was actually caught by the charge
> would be first gored and then - except for the hugest targets - trampled
> into mush by the irritable horn-faces. Which does not leave much of a
> fossil record . . .
>
In this regard, the film I saw of the wolves taking down a muskox
is again relevent. The muskox has substantial, even if relatively
small, horn, and can be quite dangerous in a fight. This is why
the wolves were doing a harrying attack, rather than an outright
charge. As it was, one of the wolves was injured anyway. [I suspect
that it was only due to the nearly complete lack of other prey that
far north during the winter that made the wolves desperate enough
to take this risk].
I would say that a T. rex would tend to avoid attacking a healthy
adult Triceratops unless it was desperate. Besides, Edmontosaurus
and Anatotitan were both almost as common as Triceratops, and far
less dangerous!
swf@elsegundoca.ncr.com sarima@netcom.com
The peace of God be with you.