Re: PACK HUNTING THEROPODS

["Allan Edels" <edels@email.msn.com>]

Toby:

    Well at least somebody besides Nathan understood my posts concerning
complexity theory and apparent pack hunting in theropods.

    Thanks,

        Allan Edels

-----Original Message-----
From: Toby White <augwhite@neosoft.com>
To: larrydunn@hotmail.com <larrydunn@hotmail.com>
Cc: dinosaur@usc.edu <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Date: Saturday, April 11, 1998 3:05 AM
Subject: RE: PACK HUNTING THEROPODS


>Larry said:
>
>>Well, I do remember you making these arguments, but now you're just
>>restating them.  This is pure fantasy -- you offer NO evidence as to how
>>animals operating "instinctively" can mimic decision-making of the level
>>required for pack hunting.  If a complex set of instinctive behaviors
>>can parallel this, what then is the distinction between a level of
>>decision-making ability and totally instinctual behavior?  You don't
>>think there is one?  Haven't you then blurred real differences in
>>intellectual capacity because they're inconvenient to your position?
>
>Dunno about evidence, but if its a priori arguments you want, they exist by
>the cartload.  Easy to set up a behavioral program that would generate a
>viable pack hunting strategy against another opponent with a limited
>behavioral repetoire.  For example, use the following set of simple rules:
>
>Stay to the side of the target.  Rear quarter is better
>
>Maintain allignment with the friend in front of you
>
>Same for the ones to the sides
>
>Don't get between two large objects if at least one is moving
>
>Slash if there's an opening
>
>If not attacking, distance to target proportional to size and current speed
>of target
>
>In roughly that order priority.  Allow for random departures and resolution
>of conflicts, and you'll likely come up with a reasonably viable strategy.
>That is, the joules of food energy obtained will exceed the joules required
>to hunt plus the occaisional loss of pack members.  Perhaps this is
>pointless in view of the lack of evidence, but it would be an interesting
>exercise for someone with a lot of spare computer time.  Nathan?
>
>  --Toby White
>
>