Re: How Did Hadrosaurs Survive? (Was: Hadrosaur "mummy" questions)

[John Conway <john_conway@mac.com>]

On Sunday, October 27, 2002, at 12:55  AM, Tim Donovan wrote:

>   By running away, but not hadrosaurs could escape a new predator with 
> consummate senses and speed.

We do not know how fast tyrannosaurs could run, and we do not know how 
fast hadrosaurs could run. Short legs does not = slow.

Besides, the important thing for predator is MATCH it's prey's speed, 
so that it can aim it's bite. Hadrosaurs _may_ have been slower, but 
twisting and turning would make it very difficult for a tyrannosaur to 
land a bite. Cheetahs don't do that well, despite their superior speed; 
mostly because of the twists and turns of their prey . Tyrannosaurs 
would have had incredible inertia, and may not have been able to 
accelerate/decelerate as quickly as hadrosaurs. Matching the hadrosaurs 
speed for speed, turn for turn, may have been very  tricky.

As for big _Tyrannosaurus_ killing all the duckbills; need I mention 
the Nemegt? _Tyrannosaurus_, and _Saurolophus_ as the most common multi 
tonner, as I recall. Think outside of the North America. :-)


John Conway, Palaeoartist

"Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am 
large, I contain multitudes." - Walt Whitman

Systematic ramblings: http://homepage.mac.com/john_conway/
Palaeoart: http://homepage.mac.com/john_conway/_palaeoart.html