I have a theory

Rubecula

The theory is ... the more discussion on a subject the more the truth unfolds.

So bearing that in mind I have decided to post a simple idea and leave it for you to discuss.

Allosaurus was more fearsome and more deadly than T.Rex.

Discuss.

Adam Khor

Rubecula wrote: »

Allosaurus was more fearsome and more deadly than T.Rex.

Discuss.

I would say, either you are deadly, or you are not.

As for fearsomeness... I think T. rex would probably be the more frightening of the two, not only because it was much bigger but also because of its binocular vision; its eyes faced forwards, so if you met one, it would stare directly at you, like a gigantic eagle or hawk. (And even these small dinos can make one feel uneasy when they stare).

Allosaurus on the other hand seemingly had less binocular vision than modern day crocodiles

Oh, and the binocular vision would also help T-Rex catch you with more ease.
I suposse Allosaurus being smaller and lighter may have been also faster and more agile- and it could probably chase you through smaller spaces than T-Rex could, but I still think T-Rex would be the scarier of the two.

Rubecula

Excellent points well made. But as T-Rex would struggle to throw a stick with those arms I think Big Al would be more difficult to get away from in many ways.

Adam Khor

Rubecula wrote: »

Excellent points well made. But as T-Rex would struggle to throw a stick with those arms I think Big Al would be more difficult to get away from in many ways.

It would certainly have a faster bite, but I still think the lack of binocular vision would be a big disadvantage...

I do wonder how often Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus went after human-sized prey, tho. Would they even consider us worth the effort? The smallest prey of which I've read there's evidence for T-Rex was a juvenile hadrosaur about the size of a cow... perhaps the most dangerous for us would be the "teenagers":



You know, long-legged, fast-running, just tall enough to bite your head off with ease, and the right size to see us as a worthy meal...

Juvenile allosaurs also look like fast runners:

Rubecula

Excellent point Adam, now perhaps if at different ages they were the same size. (The must have been at some point in their development) I wonder which would have come out on top if they were both fighting over a meal?

I think the T-Rex would have benefitted from a few more million years of evolution, yet I also think that Al had the better starting point. Gooid point about binocular vision, Yet there are predators around even today with the loss of an eye who could do well so although it may aid the judging of distance I think it is not that major an advantage.

Not sure about bite force either. One of each at about the same size...... I honestly an not sure as the jaws were a fair bit different and so was the jaw muscles.

(I have to come up with another of these discussion topics )

Adam Khor

Rubecula wrote: »

Not sure about bite force either. One of each at about the same size...... I honestly an not sure as the jaws were a fair bit different and so was the jaw muscles.

Considering how everything in T-Rex's skull was apparently modified for a stronger bite, and its teeth were also much more massive and thick, I would imagine the Allosaurus would need a considerable size advantage to bite harder than a rex...

This is not to say of course that an allosaur bite wouldn´t be devastating as well. It wouldn´t be much different from being bitten by a shark- would probably take a huge chunk out of you. And I imagine them holding prey on the ground with one talon, like raptors, while probably ripping the limbs off their prey, so yeah... not a nice way to go either.

Rubecula wrote: »

(I have to come up with another of these discussion topics )

I'm sure a new one will stem from this one sooner or later

Kess73

I guess in modern day terms it would be a bit like asking which is the more fearsome between a tiger shark and a great white shark.


They both grow to similar lengths but one is usually more heavily built than the other.


Also a lot depends on whether we are talking about which would be more fearsome to a human or which would be more fearsome against the exact same prey species.


I think one way to look at it would be to compare T Rex with the species that Al is known to have predated upon, and put Al in with the species we know that T Rex has taken on.

On that score, I think T Rex fares better. When it comes to large carnivore (or large omnivores for that matter) then size/weight is often a major factor in deciding who rules the roost.

Adam Khor

It doesn´t help that we know so little about Allosaurus... if it was, as has been suggested, a "pack" hunter, it would be kinda like tigers and lions... tigers get larger and more powerful, individually, but a pride of lions is almost unstoppable...

Rubecula

Actually that is a really good point that I hadn't even thought of. Some folks think T.Rex also worked in small groups. Certainly it is believed the young were 'taught' to hunt by the parent, which is a very bird-like trait.

(Yes I do consider birds to be dinosaurs, and, I am sorry if that offends)

Adam Khor

Why would that be offensive?

Truth is we don´t know anything about T-Rex's reproductive behavior, there's no nests or hatchlings to my knowledge, and if there are, they are yet to be described. The popular image of the T-Rex adults caring for their young and teaching them to hunt actually seems unlikely, as juvenile T-Rex's were seemingly perfectly capable of hunting on their own, and had different proportions from those of adults- longer legs, longer and narrower jaws-, suggesting they specialized on different prey and occupied their own niche as speedy hunters of smaller dinosaurs/creatures. (And this may also explain why other small and medium-sized predators seem rather scarce and not very diverse during T-Rex's time... its young were monopolizing those niches in the food chain).

If this is indeed the case, any parental care that occured amongst tyrannosaurs, may have been limited to eggs and/or very young chicks.