[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index][Subject Index][Author Index]
Re: Sauropods and lung development
Betty Cunningham wrote:
<How does the vertebrae count of long-neck plesiosaurs compare to
sauropods?>
Oh, let's see, about 50 in *Plesiosaurus*, and about 14 in
*Diplodocus*? The numbers may be off by one or two, though, but the
ratio between the two is still incredibly high, in the plesiosaur's
favor. The vertebrae are more simplistic on plesiosaurs, as well,
without the complext external excavation or structs, because support
of mass on the surfaces are reduces, which is really what the external
struts are for: as in a skyscraper or column, the external ribbing and
cross-hatching and fluting are designed to hold shape and support the
mass from one point to another.
My opinion is that sauropods possessed the external (note, not
internal) supports to keep their vertebrae's shape as they elongated.
Plesiosaurs did not elongate the vertebrae, so increased their number.
Sauropods, it seems to me, tried to make due with what they had,
adding a vertebrae every so often in their evolutionary development
when it was nessessary to extend the scope of their niche, or exploit
a new one.
Or so I think.
==
Jaime A. Headden
Qilong, the website, at:
http://members.tripod.com/~Qilong/qilong.html
---
All comments and criticisms are welcome!
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com