Problems with Rei et al elephant study

[GSP1954@aol.com]

Having read the Rei et al. J Exp Biol 211: 2735 paper I found that there are 
a number of problems that warrant a commentary to JEB. Meanwhile, my work is 
criticized in Rei et al without adequate documentation or accurate coverage of 
the body of research to the point that it is misrepresented and not duly 
credited. In particular, in fig 5D in Paul & Christiansen 2000 Paleobiology 26: 
450 
I show the elephant forelimb even more flexed than do Rei et al, who charge 
me with simplisitically restoring elephants limbs as straight jointed. The knee 
is also shown as flexed, and undergoing significant flexion at midstroke, 
broadly similar to albeit less extreme than seen in Rei et al. Also note that I 
never restore moving sauropods and stegosaur skeletons were perfectly straight 
leg joints, some flexion is always involved. These results are ignored in Rei 
et al, who prefer to sterotype my and others research as simplistic and 
profoundly different from their results -- that better fits their story that 
they 
are making radical research breakthroughs. This sort of thing has been 
happening 
a lot lately in regard to my efforts in this and other areas of 
dinosaurology; I really do not appreciate it, so knock it off and give proper 
credit where 
it is due. Likewise the news media has not contacted me to get my opinion on 
the JEB paper even though I am critically cited, this reflects a tendency to 
overplay seemingly novel research.

GSPaul



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