Re: Spinosaurs ate pterosaurs

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Jaime Headden wrote:

>   Indeed. However, I will have to disagree. Yes, it does seem darn
> inefficient that the food does not fall conveniently at one's feet, but to
> catch it, one must leap _after_ it :). Darn cheetahs specializing in being
> extremely inefficient hunters of only fast prey.

True, but gazelles do not fly.  Thus, the the cheetah's pursuit of its 
intended prey is limited to two dimensions: the chase begins on the ground, 
and ends (one way or another) on the ground.

> There are other hyper-specialized animals that
> feed by enormous strain on their bodies, or by doing things that are
> extraordinary by comparison to, say, salmon, as in the "spitting" fish.

In all these cases, the calorific content of the food item MUST justify the 
expenditure of energy needed to acquire it.  The archer fish has a highly 
specialized method of bringing down insects, but I'm guessing spitting 
doesn't require that much energy on the part of the fish.  Sprinting after a 
gazelle will exhaust the cheetah; but if successful, the pay-off for the 
predator is enormous

My previous point was that AFAIK there are no animals that *specialize* in 
snatching insects or birds out of the air, without the benefit of powered 
flight.  Certain animals (e.g., cats, the bane of native Aussie fauna) may 
do this opportunistically, but none make a living out of it.



Tim

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