Comments on: It Must Be a Slow News Day http://www.cleverbadger.net/wordpress/2009/08/10/it-must-be-a-slow-news-day/ I'm not dead yet! Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:14:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Clever_Badger http://www.cleverbadger.net/wordpress/2009/08/10/it-must-be-a-slow-news-day/comment-page-1/#comment-485 Clever_Badger Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:51:16 +0000 http://www.cleverbadger.net/?p=565#comment-485 Films like the 1916 classic, <i>Prehistoric Poultry</i>? It's an easy trap to fall into, really. Before I read Bakker's <i>Dinosaur Heresies</i>, I never really gave much thought to the ecology of dinosaurs. It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that ancient dinosaur predators, prey, and scavengers would behave similarly to modern predators, prey, and scavengers. The niches they occupy, of course, have very similar constraints on them. Films like the 1916 classic, Prehistoric Poultry?

It's an easy trap to fall into, really. Before I read Bakker's Dinosaur Heresies, I never really gave much thought to the ecology of dinosaurs.

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that ancient dinosaur predators, prey, and scavengers would behave similarly to modern predators, prey, and scavengers. The niches they occupy, of course, have very similar constraints on them.

]]> By: Skippy http://www.cleverbadger.net/wordpress/2009/08/10/it-must-be-a-slow-news-day/comment-page-1/#comment-472 Skippy Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:23:58 +0000 http://www.cleverbadger.net/?p=565#comment-472 I noticed that article the other day too and was a bit mystified a bit that the MSNBC writers seemed surprised at the idea that a predator may prefer easier prey. Surely at least someone on the MSNBC science staff has seen an episode of National Geographic and noticed that, for example, lions prefer to go after the relatively helpless young wildebeests rather than the gigantic, full-grown bulls. Seems like a lot of people base their ideas of dinosaur behavior on old Willis O'Brien films. I noticed that article the other day too and was a bit mystified a bit that the MSNBC writers seemed surprised at the idea that a predator may prefer easier prey. Surely at least someone on the MSNBC science staff has seen an episode of National Geographic and noticed that, for example, lions prefer to go after the relatively helpless young wildebeests rather than the gigantic, full-grown bulls.

Seems like a lot of people base their ideas of dinosaur behavior on old Willis O'Brien films.

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