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Re: More on azhdarchid height and quad arm posture
----- Original Message -----
> From: Mark Witton <mark.witton@port.ac.uk>
> To: Dinosaur Mailing List <dinosaur@usc.edu>
> Cc:
> Sent: Thursday, 27 June 2013 5:07 AM
> Subject: Re: More on azhdarchid height and quad arm posture
> "The Witton pose is very probably wrong."
>
> Pterodactyloid trackways show that their limbs are held in
> parasagittal poses, and those of azhdarchids seem to drop almost
> vertically from the body, as depicted in my 2008 illustration and
> subsequent works. I'm not the only person to illustrate and describe
> their postures in this way: Chris Bennett (1997), David Unwin (1997,
> 2005), Hwang et al. (2002), Mazin et al. (2003) and many others have
> done the same. Presumably, the skewed joint at the end of the
> metacarpal deflects the distal wing laterally when the arm is folded
> up. Thus, I'm happy that my reconstructions are more-or-less
> consistent with this idea. The idea that pterodactyloids had sprawled
> forelimbs, akin to the Paul (2011) reconstruction of Q. n., is not
> supported by any trackway data.
>
> Mark
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In regards to trackways, I would recommend folks read the following if they
haven't already:
Carpenter, K. 2009. Role of Lateral Body Bending in Crocodylian Track Making.
Ichnos. Vol. 16:202-207
When it comes to inferring stance, trackways lie.
Jason