Re: Triceratops sprawl

["Nicholas J. Pharris" <pharrinj@PLU.edu>]

On Wed, 31 Jan 1996, Rob Meyerson wrote:

> Again, I am not convinced that this evidence (which is mostly circumstancial
> anyway) really shuts the door on sprawling posture.  If you look at the data
> another way, sprawling posture becomes possible.

If you look at the data in *what* way??

> The crux of the problem may be that the upright hind limb/sprawling forelimb
> mount appears to be so wierd, that its easy to doubt the accuracy of this=
>  mounting style.  Besides, it could be argued that the ceratopians simply=
>  found a unique solution to the problem of going from a bipedal animal to a=
>  quadrepedal one; especially when one considers that the environment in=
>  which they lived was extremely treacherous (how better to manuver in the=
>  ancient Gobi dune fields than to adapt a dune-busting form).

Ah, yes.  The old "ceratopians didn't bother to rearrange their forelimbs 
when they went from bipeds to quadrupeds (notice, everyone:  the vowel in 
the middle is a "u")" argument.  The problem is this:  EVEN BIPEDAL 
ORNITHISCHIANS HAD FORELIMBS MOUNTED DIRECTLY UNDER THE BODY.  
Ceratopians would have had to evolve a sprawling posture deliberately, as 
it were, because they inherited an erect forelimb posture from their 
bipedal ancestors.

> Rob
> 
> ***
> "Don't panic!"

You, either!

Nick Pharris
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
(206)535-8204
PharriNJ@PLU.edu

"If you can't convince them, confuse them." -- Harry S. Truman