Re: Can elephants run?

[David Krentz <ddkrentz@charter.net>]

Perhaps the tail, and the attachment area it provides for a powerful 
caudofemoralis longus muscle might add to the power of the stride.  

I've always been curious as to whether sauopods and Stegs had a rotary style 
gait ( like a camel and often elephant) or a transverse one ( like a dog or 
cat).  Is one of those gaits more beneficial to an animal with a taller profile?

D


On Feb 15, 2010, at 8:14 PM, Dann Pigdon wrote:

> On Tue, Feb 16th, 2010 at 2:37 PM, GUY LEAHY <xrciseguy@q.com> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> It depends upon how one defines "running"... 
>> http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/full/213/5/i
> 
> Needless to say, elephants certainly don't gallop like the mammoths in 
> '10,000 BC'. :-)
> 
>> I wonder if sauropods and stegosaurs might have used similar gaits?
> 
> I imagine the presence of a substantial tail in sauropods and stegosaurs 
> complicates matters.
> 
> -- 
> _____________________________________________________________
> 
> Dann Pigdon
> GIS Specialist                         Australian Dinosaurs
> Melbourne, Australia               http://home.alphalink.com.au/~dannj
> _____________________________________________________________
>