RE: Trex as a good smeller

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Scott Hartman wrote:

> Maybe the carcass wasn't fragrant enough.  In David Attenborough's
> documentary, "The Life of Birds," an airborne turkey vulture locates a
> carcass that is completely concealed under leaves.  Next time, let the
> carcass rot until the aroma is especially strong before running the
> experiment.

The turkey vulture is reported to have an excellent sense of smell.  So do 
the related yellow-headed vultures.  But as I understand it, having an 
exceptional sense of smell is quite rare among birds.  I know kiwis and the 
tube-nosed birds do, but other birds (including most scavengers) do not.  
Most species of scavenging birds rely on visual cues to detect prey, AFAIK.

Cheers

Tim