RE: Regarding Spinosaurus

["Williams, Tim" <TiJaWi@agron.iastate.edu>]

Graydon wrote:

>Not particularly like vultures; I'm thinking that they were active
>predators, but that they might have had an odd mode of feeding.  The
>contents of the body cavity tend to the highest food value of any part
>of the prey animal, and there's problems with using _all_ of a carcass;
>it might make sense to specialize in getting the most nutritional value
>from the kill before abandoning it, in preference to defending it.
[snip]
>It does all seem to fit; anyone got a suggestion as to how one could
>test it?

The only way theory this could be corroborated if we are fortunate enough
(VERY fortunate) to find a spinosaur specimen with integumentary structures.
If spinosaurs were not content just to eat the outer muscle layers, and
delved into the innards of carcasses as well, then you'd expect the
spinosaur head to be naked - like modern vultures (vulturids/cathartids and
accipitrids) and the marabou stork.  

(I ain't holding my breath for that discovery though.)

>I can see them eating fish just fine, too; I doubt any theropod has ever
>been what one would call a picky eater.  I do have some trouble
>imagining a multi-ton terrestrial facultive fisheater, though.

"Facultative" might be okay; but I have trouble imagining a multi-ton
*obligate* terrestrial fisheater.



Tim