Re: Spinosaurs ate my brain

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

"Richard W. Travsky" wrote:
>
> > >> I suppose that depends on the rate of success.  Admittedly, no modern
> > >> animal that I know of catches insects by leaping from the ground into
> > >> the air
> >
> > Cats do that - they do it to avian dinosaurs, too.
> 
> Most likely for play.
> 

Actually, small wild cats often do this. I've seen footage of African
servals catching birds in this manner. It's not so different to their
usual pouncing method of catching small terrestrial prey (except that
prey is caught while going up instead of when landing).

At the Melbourne Zoo here in Victoria, they keep their small cats
occupied by hanging chunks of meat from a guy-wire that zooms around the
enclosure. The cats keep themselves fit (and releave boredom) by making
spectacular leaps at the flying lumps of food.

I've noticed that the leopards have to content themselves with eyeing
off small children (who just happen to be right in their prefered
size-range of prey). I often wonder what the kids would think if I
happened to mention why the leopards are staring at them so intensely.
:)

-- 
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Dann Pigdon                   Australian Dinosaurs:
GIS / Archaeologist         http://www.geocities.com/dannsdinosaurs
Melbourne, Australia        http://www.alphalink.com.au/~dannj/
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