Comment on Majungasaurus - redux by DrScottHartman
Were it's legs really that short?
They really were. I can now say that with a bit more certainty than before.
Then that would mean it couldn't run very fast. Probably not more than 15 mph.
Perfectly accurate. When you live in a densely forested environment, you don't really need speed or agility.
You do need agility in such an environment.
Majungasaurus was a largely built animal with poor vision, yet it was somehow the apex predator of prehistoric Madagascar.
Who says it had poor vision? Most extant theropods and nearly all the extinct ones had good vision.
Scientists performed a CAT Scan on the skull of a Majungasaurus and found that the parts of the brain associated with vision weren't as well developed as the rest of the brain. It could see clearly when standing still, but when on the move it would have to tilt its head from side to side in order to keep a straight line of sight. If it was hunting and the prey managed to outflank it, the dinosaur would completely lose it due to having no peripheral vision.
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And when the only prey you have is Rapetosaurus, which is not a fast moving animal either by any means.