RE: Utility of Scavenger vs. Predator Argument

["John P. Poynter" <JohnPPoynter@msn.com>]

Well, that's more like it.  Discussions have more "utility" (IMO) if the result 
of the argument can be used as input to another discussion.

BTW, your answer (and Jaime's answer) was quite lyrical.  Mind if I rip it off? 
 With proper accreditation, of course.

-----Original Message-----
From:   Jeffrey Martz [SMTP:martz@holly.ColoState.EDU]
Sent:   Monday, February 16, 1998 10:33 AM
To:     John P. Poynter
Cc:     'Dinosaur@usc.edu'
Subject:        Re: Utility of Scavenger vs. Predator Argument


     It would advance our knowledge about whether T.rex was a predator
or a scavenger.  If you want to take a larger view, it may
tell us something about the upper limit of terrestrial
predator size, or the upper limit of terrestrial bipedal
predator size, or the upper limit of predatory theropod 
size, or about the ecological feasibility of being a career scavenger if
you have low enough metabolism and a good enough sense of smell, something
that doesn't seem possible for terrestrial carnivores today.