Re: Repost on predation
chris brochu (gator@mail.utexas.edu)
26 Nov 1995 00:46:51 GMT
In article <817138573snz@crowleyp.demon.co.uk> Paul Crowley,
Paul@crowleyp.demon.co.uk writes:
>> Paul@crowleyp.demon.co.uk writes:
>> >Hunt what? Most prey will see them and run. Maybe from clear
>> >waters crocodiles can catch prey at night, or grab desperately
>> >thirsty or sick animals. But daytime hunting in clear waters
>> >could not normally provide a means of sustenance.
>>
>> Then explain the large birds I've seen them catch in clear water in broad
>> daylight. For that matter, I've seen film of C. porosus in clear water
>> catch wallabies.
>
>The only explanations that makes any sense to me are (a) the birds
>were on migration and forced down to unfamiliar waters, or (b) that
>this kind of predation was so unusual and unexpected that the prey
>was not alert. What were the birds? ducks?
Actually, they were snowy egrets in Florida. It was not migrating
season, and it happened multiple times. The best explanation to me is
that crocs and alligators are quite capable of stalking and capturing
alert prey in clear water in daylight.
>
(some shortening for brevity.)
I agree with you that most predators fail more often than succeed. But
the fact that crocs do what you say they cannot do argues against your
viewpoint.
>> >"Deposits in the region" are irrelevant unless they're actually
>> >in that valley. And they're not.
>>
>> Actually, they are. Perhaps not submerged today, but within the rift.
>
>The Red Sea Rift could have started a bit like the East African Rift
>today - with some fresh water lakes. Although being so straight and
>deep, it would have opened to the sea much more quickly. Any early
>lakes would have had crocodiles. But we are looking at >30Myr.
>Do you have information of the dates of the deposits?
Plio-Pleistocene - within the past 5 or 6 million years. By that time,
the Red Sea was in full contact with the Indian Ocean.
chris
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