Re: [Suchomimus tenerensis]

[archosaur@usa.net]

> Guys and gals,

> 

>    Recently, I have read an article about Suchomimus, the recently 

> discovered theropod from Africa. I have my doubts and thoughts on this 

> one.

>    I personally have my doubts about the statement saying that it was a 

> fish-eater. Well, that's a pretty big dinosaur to be eating fish. I 

> mean, would a dinosaur that big have evolved to eat fish? Personally, I 

> have my doubts. This dinosaur looks as if it could bring down a 

> herbivore equal to its own size, if not larger. Or maybe it waited 

> underwater, with its crocodile-like snout giving it the appearance of a 

> log or something, like modern crocs, and then attacking its prey when it 

> came to drink, much like modern crocs also. Sure, it would have to be 

> pretty deep, but hey, the bigger the water source, the more the prey, 

> right? 

>    Sure, there were fish remain inside the fossilized specimen, but I'm 

> sure other theropods, unlike this one, would grab a fish if they could, 

> and there was no other game. Don't forget though, that assuming the 

> behavioral patterns of creatures that have been extinct so long could be 

> considered futile, because they may have had extremely different 

> behaviors than animals today do. But anyways, I think that I have said 

> enough for one e-mail, let's here your rebuttal.

> 

>                                    Caleb Lewis

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The problem that I've found with trying to describe the behaviours of
_Suchomimus tenerensis_ is that, while it was certainly big enough to tackle
large deinosaurs, it's jaws were slim as hell. About as slim as _Tomistoma
schlegelii_. How could this huge theropod take down another large deinosaur
with jaws that slim? 

If it tried it's jaws would snap under the stress. And if it used other body
parts to kill it's prey, then why evolve the long jaws in the first place.

The only thing that seems to make sense is the fishing existence.

So the next logical question to ask is how an piscivorous, supposedly
semi-aquatic animal grow to be so frickin big?

That I don't have an answer for.

All the large semi-aquatic animals today are either herbivores, or eat
terrestrial animals.

Well, all but one, _Gavialis gangeticus_.

So maybe if we can find out how a piscivore like _G.gangeticus_ can grow to 7
meters, then we can find out how an (assumed) piscivore like _S.tenerensis_
can grow to 9 meters.

Any other thoughts?

Archosaur J

Jurassosaurus's Reptipage: A page devoted to the study of the reptilia

http://members.tripod.com/~jurassosauridae/index.html

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