Re: new book on functional morphology

[Robert.J.Meyerson@uwrf.edu (Rob Meyerson)]

>Shoving with the long straight-ahead horns of a Triceratops sounds 
>blindingly lethal, especially backed up with a mass of several tonnes.  
>Most intraspecies - "shoving" horned beasts have horns 
>directed upward, backward, or sidewards.  Ceratopsians look as if they 
>ran into things to kill 'em.  

Bakker once compared ceratopian (note the missing "s") combat as being similar
to a Brahma bull.  The difference being that ceratopians could be far more
precise in their attack than a Brahma's side-to-side-slashing technique.
Evidence for this is supported by the _Triceratops_ mount in the Science Museum
of Minnesota.  This animal has a puncture wound located under the left eye,
which can be interpreted as ocuring during an intraspecies battle.  Certainly,
it could be suggested that with the immense potential for serious injury that
these horns possess, there would be quite a lot of bluff display, incorporated
to avoid an actual fight.

Rob

***
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