Re: Dinosaur Copulation?

[Stan Friesen <swf@ElSegundoCA.NCR.COM>]

From: Dieter Birk <dieter.birk@geofuel.north.net>
 > To: Multiple recipients of list <dinosaur@lepomis.psych.upenn.edu>
 > 
 > I checked my copy of "Dinosaur Data Book" by David Lambert (1990)
 > under the topic of "mating" but the emphasis was on "Winning a Mate"
 > male combat, etc. by banging heads and clawing contests.
 > Heterodontosaurus males had tusks (females none) and Lambeosaurus
 > males had more prominent crest bone. Such bone-heads likely just
 > got a "bang" out of it all.

Well, most crested hadrosaurs had *hollow* crests, so banging
them together would have been rather damaging.  (Lambeosaurus
is a hollow-crested hadrosaur).

Now, the "bne-heads" themselves, the pachycphalosaurs, almost
certainly *did* butt one another like goats.

 >  Male dromaeosaurids likely fought
 > with their claws.

Extremely unlikely - those claws were far too dangerous for
intraspecific combat use.

 > Styracosaurus males likely clashed with
 > their horns.
 > 
Though probably more in the form of "wrestling" matches than
gouging matches.

swf@elsegundoca.ncr.com         sarima@netcom.com

The peace of God be with you.