Bone heads

[DAVEH47@delphi.com]

Paul (pwillis@ozemail.com.au) writes:
>What is the current accepted wisdom on what pachycephalosaurs used their
>heads for? I think that the case for male to male combat holds as much
>water as the Rainbow Warrior (No 1, not No 2). The head is better designed
>for delivering a Liverpool Kiss to an impending predator. What is hte
>general feeling out there?

The head-butting theory is conventional, but IMHO, not wisdom. :)

Besides the head-butting and somewhat more likely T. rex-butting 
ideas, there is one other theory I've seen: In John McLoughlin's book,
_Archosauria_, he suggests that pachycephalosaurs kept their heads 
down and the bony dome pointed forward to quickly push tall, thick
vegetation out of its way as it ran.  This seems at least somewhat
plausible...at least until our wretched pachyceph ran into a 
giant redwood or dosing _Euoplocephalus_ it its path! :)


************************************************************
Dave Hardenbrook,  E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com

"There are several _Deinonychus_ that can play 
 Happy Families - and are indeed brought together
 by their owners to play...These are colorful 
 occasions, to which the public is admitted...

 Attempts to teach [_Deinonychus_ to play] Monopoly are 
 progressing only slowly."
 
          -- From "How to Keep Dinosaurs" by Robert Mash
  
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