Re: The uses of sickle claws

[Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>]

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. wrote:
> 
> At 08:06 AM 9/19/97 -0500, Michael wrote:
> 
> >So what's the niche of those predators surrounding T rex?  Were they
> >the hyena of their day?  Did T rex serve as the lion of the day?
> 
> Be careful when identifying niches in different environments: they are not
> always duplicated from place to place or time to time.  After all, what is
> the "lion" of modern southeast Asia?

        I'd say the Asian lion. It's only in the last thousand years
or so that they became rare. I know that's not "modern" by most
peoples standards, but it is compared to the Mesozoic.
 
> Also, to which hyena do you refer?  The brown or striped, which are
> relatively small?  The spotted hyena, which is a powerful pack hunter (and
> occasional scavenger)?
> 
        Or even the merewolf, a close relative of the hyena that eats
nothing but termites!
-- 
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        Dann Pigdon
        Melbourne, Australia
        http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/4459/
        http://www.alphalink.com.au/~dannj
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