Re: sorry - replied wrong: RE: toofs

[Colin McHenry <cmchenry@westserv.net.au>]

Tom,
Karen Moreno's (recently mentioned on list by Jerry) work on the 
mechanics of the V. komodoensis skull under simulations of high, 
post-cranially generated loads suggest that this behaviour could work 
for theropods with an analagous, 'space-frame' construction. In 
mechanical terms, the optimisation (i.e strength for unit weight) of the 
Komodo skull under these loads is remarkable. Definitely worth testing 
to see if similar things are happening with some of the 
non-tyrannosaurid species, as has often been suggest (by Bakker and 
Rayfield, amongst others).


Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. wrote:
> If Allosaurus and Acrocanthosaurus teeth were sufficient to kill their
> sauropods (albeit perhaps with aid of talon-based wounds), why wouldn't the
> even-larger Giganotosaurus teeth be sufficient?
>
> The different sized (and more importantly, shaped!) teeth of tyrannosaurids
> most likely represents a different in the style of their feeding, not in the
> size of the "target audience." Ditto spinosaurid teeth.
>   


> Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
> Email: tholtz@umd.edu   Phone: 301-405-4084
> Office: Centreville 1216                        
> Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
> Dept. of Geology, University of Maryland
> http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
> Fax: 301-314-9661
>
> Faculty Director, Earth, Life & Time Program, College Park Scholars
> http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite/
> Fax: 301-405-0796
>
> Mailing Address:	Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
> 			Department of Geology
> 			Building 237, Room 1117
> 			University of Maryland
> 			College Park, MD 20742 USA 
>
>
>
>   


--
Colin McHenry
Computational Biomechanics Research Group http://www.compbiomech.com/
School of Engineering (Mech Eng)
University of Newcastle
NSW 2308

t: +61 2 4921 8879