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Post by DinoLord on Feb 23, 2011 23:38:17 GMT
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Post by Griffin on Feb 24, 2011 3:46:02 GMT
Hm strange. I always imagined them having big muscles, just they would have been directly attached to the leg like a running bird. Interesting to see where this goes.
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Post by eriorguez on Feb 24, 2011 4:43:26 GMT
Remember, running birds are flying animals that adapted themselves to running.
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Post by Griffin on Feb 24, 2011 18:32:20 GMT
Running birds were running animals that adapted to flying and then adapted to running again.
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Post by Horridus on Feb 24, 2011 19:20:19 GMT
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Post by eriorguez on Feb 24, 2011 19:35:44 GMT
Running birds were running animals that adapted to flying and then adapted to running again. Running animals that adapted to climbing, then to flying, then to running again.  Also, swimming cetaceans were swimming animals that adapted to walking and then adapted to swimming again. But a cetacean ain't a fish-swimmer.  |
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Post by simon on Feb 24, 2011 20:47:22 GMT
And the conundrum of "Trex couldn't run too fast because its legs would have needed too much muscle" is now on its way to resolution - there was a reason only theropod dinosaurs were bi-pedal in my opinion.
Their bi-pedal stance gave them greater maneouverability and ... SPEED. Anyone who thought that a TRex couldn't outrun an elephant was being overly influenced by the comparison in weight instead of looking at the impact of the bi-pedal stance - a totally and radically different configuration basically made possible by that gigantic dinosaurial tail.
Now that we understand its function, the tails of dinosaurs are to be seen in an entirely different light - man reading the original article above was like an epiphany!
Instead of dino-tails being seen as a 'backward' lizardian feature, instead it was the powerhouse that was a part of the reason why dinosaurs were so physically SUPERIOR to mammals - including today's mammals which would be wiped out within a generation if a representative sample of Theropod predators from ANY part of the Mesozoic was introduced within their environment ... their 'bigger mammalian brains' wouldn't save them!
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Post by Horridus on Feb 24, 2011 21:00:45 GMT
Are you sure about that? I mean, Mesozoic mammals weren't wiped out by the dinosaurs Still, you're right, comparing Tyrannosaurus with an elephant is dodgy, particularly since they have very different limbs - T. rex, like all theropods, had flexed limbs quite unlike the columnar limbs of elephants. |
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Post by simon on Feb 24, 2011 21:26:05 GMT
Are you sure about that? I mean, Mesozoic mammals weren't wiped out by the dinosaurs Still, you're right, comparing Tyrannosaurus with an elephant is dodgy, particularly since they have very different limbs - T. rex, like all theropods, had flexed limbs quite unlike the columnar limbs of elephants. Oh, c'mon Horridus - you KNOW what I MEANT ;D How about "every mammal larger than a badger that can't run into a hole to hide?" |
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Post by darwinian on Feb 24, 2011 22:02:26 GMT
Running birds were running animals that adapted to flying and then adapted to running again. Running birds are wriggling animals that adapted themselves to swimming then adapted to crawling then adapted to running then adapted to flying and finally (?) adapted themselves to running again. |
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Post by darwinian on Feb 24, 2011 22:03:33 GMT
Neat. I just wish he could have explained why so many theropod dinosaurs had tails with a descending curve, and the tip coming to rest on the ground. |
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Post by zopteryx on Feb 25, 2011 1:56:54 GMT
I feel enlightened!  And it makes sense when you think about the animals' weight distribution. Do you think this applies to the dinosaurs closest to birds though (Anchiornis, Microraptor, etc.)? I find it difficult to envision them with thick tails. |
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Post by dinoguy2 on Feb 25, 2011 4:46:07 GMT
I feel enlightened! And it makes sense when you think about the animals' weight distribution. Do you think this applies to the dinosaurs closest to birds though (Anchiornis, Microraptor, etc.)? I find it difficult to envision them with thick tails. I don't think so. According to this new research, the thickness of the tail is defined by drawing a rough circle around all the 'prongs' of the vertebra. The tail vertebrae of deinonychosaurs were very, very thin except at the very base. So they might have had fat tail bases that rapidly transitioned into more slender, rod-like tails. But all that would be hidden by the feathers anyway, so it wouldn't change how they look. All known manirpators have thick feathers around the base of the tail and the hips--often thicker than the ones on the back. |
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Post by Griffin on Feb 25, 2011 16:26:28 GMT
Running birds were running animals that adapted to flying and then adapted to running again. Running birds are wriggling animals that adapted themselves to swimming then adapted to crawling then adapted to running then adapted to flying and finally (?) adapted themselves to running again. Sure but the part that I highlighted...all the animals in there are still dinosaurs that live on land. "If birds are dinosaurs than we are all fish cuz we came from fish hurhur!" Can we not have that please? I'm not saying this study isn't credible. I just want to wait a bit and see some more on it. I don't think crocodillians use their tails to power their legs like they are suggesting dinosaurs did. I'm not saying a theropod couldn't run powerfully, I just think its weird how they have the tail depicted exactly like a croc's, with a big separation between the legs and the base of the tail. Seems like the muscle on a dinosaur should go from the leg directly to the tail base (unless im missing something). |
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Post by Himmapaan on Feb 25, 2011 21:40:30 GMT
I'm not saying this study isn't credible. I just want to wait a bit and see some more on it. I don't think crocodillians use their tails to power their legs like they are suggesting dinosaurs did. I'm not saying a theropod couldn't run powerfully, I just think its weird how they have the tail depicted exactly like a croc's, with a big separation between the legs and the base of the tail. Seems like the muscle on a dinosaur should go from the leg directly to the tail base (unless im missing something). Agree. |
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Post by eriorguez on Feb 25, 2011 21:52:11 GMT
Erm, crocodiles USE their tail muscles to move their legs. We know it, mostly because, you know, big muscles that contracting bring the leg backwards ARE in the tail.
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Post by Griffin on Feb 25, 2011 23:16:39 GMT
Erm, crocodiles USE their tail muscles to move their legs. We know it, mostly because, you know, big muscles that contracting bring the leg backwards ARE in the tail. erm crocodiles use their tails for a lot more than just their puny legs though (if that). They use them to power the whole body through the water. What im saying is crocs have those tails for a reason and its not the same reason they are suggesting dinosaurs had them. And there is no need for a tude. |
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And it makes sense when you think about the animals' weight distribution. Do you think this applies to the dinosaurs closest to birds though (Anchiornis, Microraptor, etc.)? I find it difficult to envision them with thick tails.
