Jobaria and the Elephant Commit Suicide

[Danvarner@aol.com]

  Once again another sauropod mount rears its head, lifting its forelimbs 
into the air, ready to crush an Allosaurus or Afrovenator into a pulp. I know 
elephants have something to do with this imagery--they can rear up to reach 
food or perform tricks in the zoos or circus. But do they do this for 
defense? I know they use their heads and tusks. Look what one did to Carl 
Akeley. Is there any record of an elephant rearing up and stomping a lion or 
tiger? Or a pride of lions or whatever they call a group of tigers? Ron? 
  It seems to me that it would take about a day for a carnosaur to learn that 
when a large sauropod BEGAN to rear up on its hind limbs that that would be a 
signal to come and get it. "Here's my exposed belly and hind limbs!"No big 
deal for those swift killers to avoid that kind of confrontation. I'm sorry, 
but I don't think this scenario has been thought out very well. There is no 
mention at the www.jobaria.org website about elephants using this kind of 
behaviour for defense. Have I missed something?
  There is also an animation at this website that shows a sauropod trackway 
in action. Unfortunately, the manus prints are heading north while the pes 
prints are going south. The right and left pes prints are also switched so 
the big ungual is on the outside. Comments? Signed, Dan Varner.