Re: new paper

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

T. Michael Keesey writes: 

> Well, as I understand it (not having read it yet), the paper's not
> discounting group hunting at all, but casting doubt on the idea of
> organized pack hunting. Unless your illustrations somehow specifically
> depict organized hunting vs. mobbing, there may not be too much of a
> problem.

Indeed. Even nile crocodiles cooperate with each other in a loose way when 
migrating mega-herds of herbivores are crossing rivers (large crocs will 
stay submerged in the deep water, while smaller crocs actively herd the 
herbivores towards them). When it comes time to share the spoils, several 
crocs will anchor the carcass while others take turns twisting off pieces. 

It's nowhere near as complex as the sort of 'true' pack hunting you'd see in 
canids, but it *is* a form of cooperation (and it gets the job done). 

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Dann Pigdon
GIS / Archaeologist         http://www.geocities.com/dannsdinosaurs
Melbourne, Australia        http://heretichides.soffiles.com
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