RE: Tyrannosaur analogs in the south?

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> Christopher Gunning
>
> [[De-lurk...]]
>
> I have a question about Gondwanaland in the Cretaceous.  It looks like the 
> Tyrannosaurids were located primarily
> (exclusively?) on Laurasia... so what were the primary predators on the 
> Southern Continent?  Were there analogs to the
> big predators we know and love, or something completely different?  Or is the 
> fossil record down there not given up that
> mystery yet?

The Late Cretaceous top predators of Gondwana were the Abelisauridae. Not as 
big as the tyrannosaurids, nor were they particularly
cursorial, but like their distant northern kin they had stumpy arms.

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
        Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
        Mailing Address:
                Building 237, Room 1117
                College Park, MD  20742

http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
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Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
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