Re: Running speed of T. rex

[GROSS CORY WALTER <GROS4891@ADC.MTROYAL.AB.CA>]

>
>Good example.  I'd like to know more about big cursors (particularly 
>ratites) and the measures they take to avoid falls, before I 
>subscribe to Farlow's model.
>
>Nick Pharris
>

    Well, I hope I can help...
    
        From my few years living on a ratite ranch, I can say that I 
have never seen an ostrich fall of it's own accord. They seemed to be 
pretty good at not tumbling when they ran. it was only when we were 
trying to handle them that they fell, and that was usally from a non-
moving/standing position.

        Emus, on the other hand, fall all the time. Especially(sp?) 
when they attained high speeds. If they got worked up and started 
bolting around, they'd fall, roll over, hop back up, and start 
running around madly again with their itty-bitty little wings 
sticking out.(Along with them leaping in the air and spinning in 
cicles, it's a rather comical sight; I was on the ground the first 
time I saw it:-)). They seem to have no problem with it. But then, 
their not as big as a T-Rex either(I tend to liken them most to 
Dromaeosaurus sp.).

        I don't know if anyone has brought this up yet, but one way 
to look at it is: why would a T-Rex need to run X times faster than 
it's prey? For example, if it's prey runs 5 km/h, and Rex runs 7 
km/h, then the prey is history(not that they ran that slow...). I 
don't know how fast Ceratopians and Hadrosaurs ran, but I doubt it 
was fast enough for a T-Rex to have to do a flat out 40 klicks or 
whatever.         

Breathe Deep, Seek Peace...
Cory Gross
Alberta Palaeontological Society
MRC Earth Sciences Society
gros4891@adc.mtroyal.ab.ca