Re: Theropod Bias?

[Rich Travsky <rtravsky@UWYO.EDU>]

On Sat, 1 Feb 1997 Wabandco@aol.com wrote:
> Rob:
> In your post you note that humans were " ... once prey ourselves... "; is
> this really so?  I've always thought of primitive humans as simply competitor
> predators, not naturally the prey of other predators.  Is there evidence that
> humans were actually preyed upon by other, more adept predators?  Certainly
> today, wild predators avoid humans or ignore them; I've never perceived
> ancients as the "gazelles" of some bygone era.  But I have never analysed
> this issue.

Yes, there's evidence early hominids were prey. (After, monkeys and
apes were prey, why should we be any different?)

There's a South African australopithecine with puncture wounds
on the skull which just happen to fit a set of cheetah jaws.

This month's National Geographic (Feb) has an article on hominids
wherein a recent analysis of the Taung child shows it may have been
carried off by a bird of prey (eagle or the equivalent).

+----------+    Rich Travsky   RTRAVSKY @ UWYO . EDU
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