Re: The absurdity, the absurdity (was: Cooperating theropods?)

[Chris Campbell <sankarah@ou.edu>]

Larry Dunn wrote:
> 
> Jack <jconrad@lib.drury.edu> also wrote:
> 
> >Also, I know that there is a pride of lions in central or northern 
> >Africa which specializes in taking down elephants and have even taken 
> >adults which weigh up to 20 times as much as the average pride member 
> >(there's a great new pictoral out, I could probably get the ref.).
> 
> Stretches the imagination doesn't it?  Must take a lot of lions piling
> on to achieve that.  (And, ahem, a lot of cooperation which requires a
> lot of intelligence.)

Very true, although in at least one case a lioness took on a water
buffalo on her own and did fairly well.  She bugged it for awhile until
more lionesses showed up, but not getting killed was in itself a fairly
impressive maneuver.
 
> So lions are getting desperate.  Probably brought on by depletion of
> saner prey choices.  Wonder what (or who!) caused such an extreme change
> in prey selection?  Do you think that elephants are the preferred prey
> species of lions?

Only in this one region of Botswana.  Lions there eat water buffalo and
elephant on a regular basis, and make a habit out of hunting down and
murdering (yes, murdering) hyenas.  It's only a couple of prides, but
they're absolutely insane by any measure.

<Snip> 

> >Bobcats are specialized small game hunters
> >which usually hunt alone aren't they?
> 
> Exactly.  Amazingly, most carnivorous vertebrates operate alone and eat
> things smaller than they are.  There's nothing "specialized" about that.
> Why assume dromaeosaurs were any different?

Mainly because of dogs and lions, not to mention the occasional
coalition of cheetahs.  With dromies, given their necessarily different
hunting methods, I think assuming anything is assuming too much.
 
> >Some bacteria kill and eat humans.
> 
> The pack-microbes are at it again!  First ants, now microbes.  The
> giant-slayer dromaeosaur enthusiasts will soon be turning to sub-atomic
> particles to prove their point.

I've still got this delightful image of intrepid beetles attempting to
take down an elephant; that was the best laugh I've had in weeks.  :)

Chris