Re: T-rex. shoulder rolls

[Betty Cunningham <bettyc@flyinggoat.com>]

> if there was time to allow it the T-rex. might try to orient its body to 
> spread the
> brunt of the force across the side of its body and not plow a ditch with
> its face. I do know T-rex had no "shoulders" as we understand them, and was
> only using that term to simplify the idea. The force of impact would be the
> same, however the concentration of this force would be spread over a wider
> area and therefore decreasing the likelyhood of serious injury. If this set
> up a rolling motion the T-rex. might be able to use his feet to arrest the
> roll rather quickly.


Hi Roger, 
me? I'm also being a biker with my share of accidents, (and having already 
asked Jim the same 
thing off-line). I realise that when you have a head 6 feet long, focussing on 
some rapidly 
moving target, you are ....
1) likely to trip on occasion
2) seemingly likely to roll out of it, since you do have something like 20 feet 
to recover the 
fall in, based on the impressions of a nimble, brachiating species of mammal
however...
3) being a T rex, you're basicly built like a battering ram, and the direction 
of roll most 
likely to absorb the greatest amount of force is the roll from side to side 
(with the head at one 
end and the tail at the other end like a big burrito).  This isn't, however, 
the direction you 
are likely to be moving in when you fall, so a lot would depend on how nimble a 
T rex you are in 
getting to this safer falling position as you fall.   Therefore Jim and et all 
are most likely 
corect in assuming the leading edge, the chin, would take most of the brunt of 
the fall.  It may 
or may not kill a T rex, but can you immagine how many T rexes were walking 
around the 
Creataceous with badly bitten tongues?????


-Betty Cunningham