CERTAINTIES, SMART CROWS & CROCODILE MYTHS

["D.W.Naish" <dwn194@soton.ac.uk>]

> Again, I speak with less certainty than Darren, there, for certainty 
> (especially about animals long extinct) is not a strong point of mine.  

> Ah, though, I only wish I were more CERTAIN, like Darren.  Certainty 
> would solve a lot of my problems.
> John McLoughlin
 
Can't help but think that you're having a bit of a go at me there, John, but,
of course, let's not get feudy. Certainty as regards hypotheses of behaviour in
extinct animals certainly is *not* any one of the points I make - do I really
imply it? Oh dear, I must be wasting my time. All that garble about defensive
rings is basically my best attempt at (sigh) _trying_ to demonstrate that many
of the little behavioral gems that are now deeply ingrained in the coffee-table
genre are based on very tentative, often debated, observations on extant
organisms. How many defensive rings, drawn by respected artists in books written
by respected authors, have you seen? Loads - *all because* someone (guess who)
first based this (absolutely valid, BTW) possibility (I repeat: possibility) on
behaviour they thought to be unquestionably valid in living animals. Let's leave
defensive rings at that, because it's all too easy to wind up with a bout of
'bash the lead singer of ZZ Top'... for there are plenty other examples.

Up in my Top 5 of such is the so often quoted fact that - ahem - CROCODILES CAN
GALLOP. You'll find this stated in all the pretty crocodile books, and the idea
has even influenced behavioral speculations on various extinct reptiles like
other crocodiles, phytosaurs and rauisuchians. As I have learnt from Paul Willis
however (and subsequent adventures in the literature have proved him right),
only once has a crocodile, of any species, been known to gallop, This individual
was an unfortunate Freshie grabbed by the tail and scared shitless by a field
crew making as much noise as possible. 

So then, do crocodiles *really* gallop?;-)

(Err, let's leave pristichampsines out of this shall we... and, as regards other
pseudosuchians, I'll bet that _Saurosuchus_ and its relatives could manage a
fair saunter)

I'll deal with other matter in the subject title later.

"Whoa dad - you can fly!"  "That's OK - - I lived through the 60s"

DARREN NAISH
Jerry, I can't get through to any of your addresses. I'll mail you by standard
reply. *Sigh*.