Re: Makos on TV

[MBell16766@aol.com]

Ben may have posted his message by mistake, but the teeth of Cretoxyrhina
from the Niobrara Formation have been linked to makos structurally, and
Cretoxyrhina may have scavenged dinosaur floats...I know I'm walking on eggs
here. Anyway the program on the Discovery Channel called "Swift, Smart, and
Deadly" will be repeated sometime this Sunday. Check your local schedules.
The sequence toward the end of the film of makos chasing towed baits at high
speeds is really breathtaking. Just as good as anything in JPLW. Paleoartists
should have their VCR's ready.

The film makers really emphasize the importance of vision in mako predation.
Which makes me wonder if Cretoxyrhina used a similar strategy. And (am I
sticking my neck out far enough?) could the shift from chalk to shale
deposition muddied the waters enough to explain the absence of Cretoxyrhina
from Pierre Shale sediments when nearly all of the other critters made the
transition?

Check it out, Dan Varner.