RE: Claws on deinonychosaurs

[Jorge Dichenberg <jorgedich@yahoo.com>]

--- Ken.Carpenter@dmns.org wrote:

> The question I asked has far greater ramifications
> than just the Deinonychus-Tenontosaurus assemblage
> (I thought someone would pick that up). It applies
> to all mixed multiple theropod-prey assemblages
> (e.g., Daspletosaurus-hadrosaur bone bed, etc.)

Do I guess right that nobody compared it to living
animals? ;-)

It can be unrelated to predation. Both predators and
prey might succumbed some outside factor, eg. drought
or flood. 

Alternatively, predators/scavengers might feed on prey
trapped in eg. drying mud. A number of meat-eaters
become trapped too. This scenario created famous La
Brea tar pits, with lots of bones of Smilodon , dire
wolves, short-faced bears etc. In La Brea, number of
predators carcasses is disproportionately big compared
to herbivores, if it is any help.

Scenario when pack of predators loses some members
dead on every hunt is unlikely.

Jerzy 
 


        
                
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