Re: Velociraptor v. Protoceratops?

["Larry Febo" <larryf@capital.net>]

-----Original Message-----
From: TomHopp@aol.com <TomHopp@aol.com>
To: dinosaur@usc.edu <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Date: Thursday, August 09, 2001 1:39 PM
Subject: Re: Velociraptor v. Protoceratops?


>Tom Holtz wrote:

>Whatever happened to the sand storm concept? Why all the floods and
slumping
>dunes? The sandstone matrix is similar that of the nesting oviraptors. Man,
>these critters were STOOPID if they couldn't keep away from dangerous dune
>slopes while nesting etc. The matrix was so featureless that I still vote
for
>sandstorm, which was the original suggestion of the authors, later concepts
>like slumps notwithstanding.
>Another note -- the "vertical" position of proto vs the "horizontal"
position
>of velo. To my eye, velo is flat on his side (okay, horizontal) but proto
is
>flat on his belly. So--is that vertical? New translation from Russian
>requested, please. Perhaps the original paper said "upright," which would
>make sense if we mean "on all fours," not on its side, not on its nose or
>tail. to me, it looked to be flat on its belly. That means the two critters
>were on a flat substrate together, velo on its side, proto on its belly.
Then
>came the sandstorm, before, after or during their mutual expiration
(probably
>after). Then along comes a hungry varanid, digging in the sand, and
voila!--
>armless proto. Then came more sand. Then, much later, came humans with
funny
>little excavating tools and wild ideas.

I dunno,...I favor the slumped dune scenario. I haven`t had the pleasure of
observing the specimen up close, but wouldn`t a windblown deposit show
striations in the sand grains? (wheras a slump most likely wouldn`t on a
small scale?). Also, I can`t see the two combatants in question ignoring  a
sandstorm while fighting to the death. Most likely they would have fled for
safer haven. For such an "instantaneous" preservation in such a pose, I
think a slumped dune more appropriate.

Possible scenario: Velociraptor attacked head on by charging protoceratops
defending itself (I doubt a velociraptor would have attacked the head region
of protoceratops). Momentum of protoceratops carries both into side of dune,
precipitating dune slump. Both buried in sand, compacted sand locking
protoceratops jaws shut, struggling velociraptor unable to break free, both
die in this "death pose".