RE: Dinosauria vocalizations (joke)

["Williams, Tim" <TiJaWi@agron.iastate.edu>]

>This has advantages, in that it is possible that, within certain
>range frequencies, predators may not be able to hear what the prey are
>"saying".


A good thing too.  Lions are notoriously sensitive to malicious gossip -
especially when they're having a "bad-mane" day.

But seriously, I do wonder if this eavesdropping-evasion thing is the
purpose of "infrasonic" communication.  If a predator is close enough to
potentially overhear giraffe vocalizations, don't you think the predator
would *see* the giraffe first.  They are kind of big and tall, and hard to
miss - camouflage aside.

As for sauropods using "infrasonic" communication - if the predator has to
use its ears to track down a sauropod (even a young one) then I don't hold
out much hope for the predator.



Tim