Galactic Cannibalism: the Origin of the Magellanic Stream

We are in a privileged location in the Universe which allows us to observe galactic interactions from close range – the merger of our two nearest dwarf satellite galaxies, the LMC and SMC. It is important to understand the local merger process before we can have confidence in understanding mergers at high redshift. We present high resolution Nbody+SPH simulations of the disruption of the LMC and SMC and the formation of the Magellanic Stream, and discuss the implications for galaxy formation and evolution.