Re: T-Rex a Scavenger?!? (fwd)

[Steve Jackson <sj@io.com>]

On Tue, 29 Nov 1994, Stan Friesen wrote:
>  > I'm not sure about his argument - don't deer and buffalo use their horns
>  > as defense against wolves, as well as for rutting? 
> 
> 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. Though in the case of the rhino, I
believe the feet are far more to be feared than the horn(s).

A behavior pattern of devastating pre-emptive attacks would be
entirely consistent with the size and equipment of the bigger ceratopsians.

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 . . .