Re: Cursorial adaptations (was T.rex and elephants)

[Chris Campbell <sankarah@ou.edu>]

Ronald Orenstein wrote:
> 
> >I've always been skeptical of the idea of using the horns for
> >intraspecific competition for two main reasons: first, those horns are
> >long and sharp.  Aside from the obvious problems of breakage due to
> >direct contact with the frill, the risk of injury in such exchanges
> >would be quite high.....
> >Chris
> 
> How, then, do you explain Pachyrhinosaurus?  I can't see whatever it had on
> its snout being much use except in shoving matches.

Well, yes, but what's on its snout isn't a pokey horn.  More of a
callous or something.  That's fine for shoving, but I don't think you'd
get the same behavior in the rest of the family, do you?

Chris