RE: Utility of Scavenger vs. Predator Argument

[Stephen Faust <smfaust@edisto.cofc.edu>]

In certain Instances, Yes. I refer you to Gonyea, W. J. 1976. Adaptive
Differences In The Body Proportions Of Large Felids. Acta Anat.96:81-96.
and Gonyea, W. and R. Ashworth. 1975. The Form And Function Of Retractile
Claws In The Felidae And Other Representitive Carnivorans. J.
Morphol.145:229-238.Big cats can pull down animals up to 5X their own
weight ( i.e., Tiger vs Gaur bull ).

Steve

Stephen Faust                   smfaust@edisto.cofc.edu

On Thu, 19 Feb 1998, John P. Poynter wrote:

> Well OK, but do predators actually kill prey many times larger than 
> themselves?  For instance, does a lion pride go after the big bull elephant 
> or do they go after the more manageable elephant calf?
> 
> Jack
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Toby White [SMTP:augwhite@neosoft.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 1998 09:14 AM
> To:   JohnPPoynter@msn.com
> Cc:   dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject:      RE: Utility of Scavenger vs. Predator Argument
> 
> [John P. Poynter]  Toby White said:  What are the implications when one 
> kill of a major
> herbivore is a lot more than the hunter could possibly eat?  Does that 
> imply
> that they hunted in groups to make more efficient use of the kill?  Did it
> mean that there was a regular sequence of scavenging among different
> predators regarding the same kill?  Imagine if the only food items 
> available
> were 1 kilo hamburgers which were very expensive.to take?
> 
> 
>