T-rex as ankylosaur specialist?

[Jerzy.Dyczkowski@unibas.ch]

Just waking up endless thread about T-rex ;) Several puzzling adaptations
can be well explained as specialization for predation of ankylosaurids.

Adaptation for walking instead of speed is well supported by that ankylosaurids
were even slower.

Extremely strong jaws fit as adaptation to grasping and eating armored
prey.

Combination of short arms and strong shoulder bones could be adaptation to
wrestling with such prey. I suggest, that T-rex first grasped ankylosaurid
avoiding both tail club and spikes. It then used arms, together with jaws and
weight to pull ankylosaurid to the side, exposing vulnerable underbelly.

Suggested sociability of carnosaurs means that armor and tail club of
ankylosaurids was poorer defense than we think. Lone ankylosaurid could
not defend itself from all sides. It was relatively hapless towards
several tyrannosaurs at once. At the same time, such meal provided food
for several tyrannosaurids.

One thing worth considering is that tyrannosaurids, predators or not,
could steal prey between themselves. This could promote social lifestyle
also if social hunting was not advantage.

I read that lions hunt most efficently (in kilograms of meat gained
per lion per hour) if they hunt alone smaller prey, or in groups of few
for buffalo-sized prey. However, lions consistently hunt in packs too
small and too big to be efficent. Reason is communal defense of prey
from other predators (including hostile lions) and males hanging around
hoping to bully or steal some meat.

Similarily, juvenile Tyrannosaurus could hang by related adults hoping
to steal some food, breeding female could take some prey from males, and related
tyrannosaurs could hang together to protect prey.

I wonder if there are ankylosaurid skeletons with appropriate scratches and
damages?

Jerzy Dyczkowski



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