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

[Jack <jconrad@lib.drury.edu>]

On Thu, 2 Apr 1998, Larry Dunn wrote:

> But this isn't an idea that everyone's keeping on the back burner as a 
> remote possibility.  It's accepted as a fact by many: "Raptorman," able 
> to leap tall herbivores in a single bound. 

Okay, I think we've made some progress then.  I think I see what you're
saying more clearly.  You're not completely dismissing the possibility,
you're simply saying that your analysis of the situation suggests that is
more likely that _Deinonychus_ did not hunt tenontosaurs.  I can accept
that.  I have not completely made my mind up on the matter, though I do
feel that modern mammals are generally poor analogues in some respects of
this example.  We don't have any extant predators with as much "firepower"
to use a fine Paulian term.  If dromies were among the most intelligent of
theropods and even the sauropods who had minute EQ's had enough sociality
to move in groups, I do not feel it necessary to rule out the group dromie
attack.  But you are welcome to your opinion.  

> Vertebrates generally hunt prey smaller than themselves.  We're thus 
> able to entertain the likely possibility that the owls were hunting the 
> small mammals.

Yes, but the premise is nearly the same about the predation in both
arguments.  

> >In several million years there may be no conclusive evidence that 
> wolves
> >or lions or hyenas are pack hunters either. 
> 
> Well, for the sake of discussion I'll agree, and then I'll push all of 
> the other extant carnivores off the cliff too.  Are you saying that 
> future paleontologists should then assume they were all pack hunters 
> because there's no proof that they weren't?

Not at all, in fact I don't think we should *assume* anything about
behavior, but we should weigh all options.  

> No inconvenience at all.  I'm glad we're at last agreed that discussion 
> of ant behavior has no place in this conversation!  Let us banish spunky 
> little Formica from the discussion.

Any invertebrate is a rather poor analogue in a discussion about
dinosaurs, you are right.  

Jack