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Re: A "new" theory on Oviraptor philoceratops (I think)
Jonas Weselake-George (ee555@freenet.carleton.ca) wrote:
<Would it really take such a strong jaw to break open what must have been
(barring a special adaptation to let air in using other ways then through
the shell wall) relatively large and fragile eggs, why not use a forarm or
a rock?>
Without doing the math, and requiring a mechanical modle to work from, I
envision the jaw as being overbuilt for the purpose of crushing eggshell,
at least when we are thinking of eggshell in the chicken sense. That of
larger eggs are thicker, and their structural characteristics different,
as in those of ostriches, which are notoriously hard to crack; being
spheres doesn't help and their structure tends to distribute forces
applied around the entire egg more effectively than an oval egg. However,
more to the point, my research _does_ cover this topic by making it
pointless. The human jaw is, indeed, suited for eating many things, from
soft mushy plants to cracking shells of hot popcorn kernels (my fave part
of eating popcorn) and nuts, etc. We would be overbuilt for our regular
diet as well. I do not contest Barbsold's conclusions of mollusck
cracking, and in fact favor his work. I just contest the conclusionary
work that they would not or could not eat eggs, but rather provide,
without saying why I think so, they could and seem designed for it.
=====
Jaime A. Headden
Little steps are often the hardest to take. We are too used to making leaps
in the face of adversity, that a simple skip is so hard to do. We should all
learn to walk soft, walk small, see the world around us rather than zoom by it.
"Innocent, unbiased observation is a myth." --- P.B. Medawar (1969)
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