From: "Rob Gay" <rob@dinodomain.com>
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 10:04:42 -0700
> I don't see why _Eoraptor_ or herrerasaurids couldn't have preyed upon
juveniles of other dinosaur species<
They very well may have. I think Ken's point here is that the vast majority
of Triassic predators were non-dinosaurian, so the highest predatory
pressure would also (probably) be from non dinosaurian predators.
>- or even their own. _Coelophysis_ apparently did - assuming the
juvenile
specuimen enclosed by the rib cage of an adult represents cannibalism.<
For my comments on this, see the archives. But, its also important to point
out, I think, that even if we don't have evidence for cannibalism in
_Coelophysis_, it doesn't mean that it never happened...it just means we
don't have evidence for it, and cannot say for sure if it did or did not.
> And there were fairly large-sized (6m+) carnivorous dinosaurs in the
Late
Triassic: _Gojirasaurus_, _Aliwalia_, and some undescribed critters (e.g.
from South America). They might have targeted small prosauropods and
ornithischians.<
Might have. But I think once again the fact that the large majority of
animals (in this case, herbivores) were non-dinosaurian would lead one to
the conclusion that therapsids, and non-dinosaurian archosaurs were the
main prey items of said dinosaurs.
When we're talking about predator/prey relationships in the Triassic, it is
very important to remember that with very few exceptions, were dinosaurs a
majority, or even a large minority, of the ecosystem.
Peace,
Rob