RE: T-Rex Not Merely a Scavenger
September 5, 2014 at 9:47 pm
(This post was last modified: September 5, 2014 at 9:53 pm by Anomalocaris.)
I saw a study which suggest t-Rex has the second most acute vision of any dinosaur yet discovered, more acute than that of a hawk and about 5 times more acute than human. It's stereoscopic vision overlap is equal to those humans and better than any other dinosaurs, and it's optical depth perception is probably the best of any animal ever.
This would seem to suggest it is not only a predator, but a very active hunter with a large range, and have highly complex hunter behavior that requires a complex 3 D spatial appreciation of the situation. It seems to me this kind of 3 D spatial perception would not be needed if the prey is big and slow moving, or if your behavior is to simply head in the direction the prey happen to be. Instead it is needed if you plan you action in such a way as to intercept a fast moving prey while moving In a independent path optimized for rapid closure.
Instead of running Into big slow prey with jaws agape, it seems to me its sensory equipment is set up to detect prey from long range, maneuver itself using wind direction and concealment to close range, and then use sophisticated 3D spatial perception to preprogramm its muscles for a coordinated series of motor actions to intercept an alerted and fast moving prey.
This would seem to suggest it is not only a predator, but a very active hunter with a large range, and have highly complex hunter behavior that requires a complex 3 D spatial appreciation of the situation. It seems to me this kind of 3 D spatial perception would not be needed if the prey is big and slow moving, or if your behavior is to simply head in the direction the prey happen to be. Instead it is needed if you plan you action in such a way as to intercept a fast moving prey while moving In a independent path optimized for rapid closure.
Instead of running Into big slow prey with jaws agape, it seems to me its sensory equipment is set up to detect prey from long range, maneuver itself using wind direction and concealment to close range, and then use sophisticated 3D spatial perception to preprogramm its muscles for a coordinated series of motor actions to intercept an alerted and fast moving prey.
