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''Valley of the T-Rex'' is a 2001 Discovery Channel documentary, featuring paleontologist Jack Horner. The program shows Horner with his digging team as they travel to Hell Creek Formation in search for dinosaur fossils. The program also follow Horner as he present his view of the theropod dinosaur ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' as a scavenger rather than a predator, as it is often portrayed in popular culture. ==Plot== The program shows Horner and his digging team as they travel to the Hell Creek Formation in Montana, USA, and dig up dinosaurs. The program also follows Horner as he presents arguments for his case of ''Tyrannosaurus'' as a scavenger. Horner argues that there is not the slightest evidence that ''Tyrannosaurus'' hunted its own prey. Instead, Horner believe the evidence should be clear that ''Tyrannosaurus'' was a scavenger, lamenting that "''no one likes that idea''". Some of Horner's arguments for a scavenger-only ''Tyrannosaurus'' are: *Forelimbs: ''Tyrannosaurus'' short forelimbs seems like they could not hold on to struggling prey. Horner argue that predators have well developed forelimbs with claws to hold prey down while the jaws do the killing, while ''Tyrannosaurus'' could not use its forelimbs for much more than to "''Scratch it's belly''". Horner believes the upper arm of ''Tyrannosaurus'' would have been embedded in muscle, and not externally visible in life. And if ''Tyrannosaurus'' stumbled and fell while trying to run, the small forelimbs would not be enough to brake the fall, and it would get fatal injures. *Speed: Horner argues that ''Tyrannosaurus'' must have been too slow to chase down prey, and also points out that some specimens of ''Tyrannosaurus'' have longer thighbones than shinbones.〔Locke R, 2001, ("Killing a Legend: New Evidence Paints T. Rex as a Nasty Scavenger, Not a Vicious Hunter" ), ''dsc.discovery.com'', read 11-7-2012.〕 According to Horner, this is not the case in fast-running animals like ''Saurornitholestes'', which have longer shinbones than thighbones. *Brain and senses: Horner suggest that ''Tyrannosaurus'' had a poorly developed sense of sight, and would not be a good predator. On the other hand, the huge olfactory bulb indicates "''a tremendous sense of smell''", used to find carcasses. *Jaws and teeth: ''Tyrannosaurus'' had powerful jaws and robust teeth. Horner argue that ''Tyrannosaurus'' used them for crushing bones, as modern scavengers like hyenas do to feed on marrow when the flesh of carcass has rotted away. Predators teeth are normally thin and sharp for slicing flesh. ''Tyrannosaurus'' becomes depicted as Horner imagines it: a big, slow-moving animal, traveling across the landscape in search of carcass. Horner thinks ''Tyrannosaurus'' would have a repulsive look: dark body and a red head, and would give off a terrible odor. This would help it discourage other meateaters, like dromaeosaurs, from carcasses. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Valley of the T-Rex」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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