Re: Eagle eyes

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

Matthew Bonnan wrote:
> ....
> In predatory birds, might the palpebral bone also serve a protective
> function when the animal captures prey or while it is eating by providing a
> bony protuberence in front of the eyes?  As the bird pushes its head into a
> carcass, the palpebral bone might prevent stuff from going into the eyes.

Perhaps the same is true of dino herbivores pushing their snouts into tough,
prickly Mesozoic foliage. In Ankylosaurs and Ceratopians perhaps they have a
physically more demanding role, protecting the eyes while they toss their
armoured heads about in case of impacts with rivals/predators/low
branches/etc...

Would it be possible for a theropod to role its eyes back like a shark while
probing inside a carcass? I'm thinking the sclerotic ring may have restricted
the eye's movement somewhat, making it unlikely. Plus I don't see something like
Carnotaurus getting those horns into any restricted space. Perhaps the long
theropod snout was sufficient to reach into a carcass without having to plunge
the head in past the eyes (I've always thought that Velociraptor would have had
a great head for this kind of work).

-- 
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        Dann Pigdon
        GIS Archaeologist
        Melbourne, Australia

        Australian Dinosaurs:
        http://home.alphalink.com.au/~dannj
        http://www.geocities.com/dannj.geo
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