Re: Bicycle Dinos vs. QuadroTrack Mammals

[Stan Friesen <swf@ElSegundoCA.NCR.COM>]

From: Mark Sumner <range@inlink.com>

 > There are several lizards which employ a standard quadrapedal gait
 > when moving slowly, but switch to a bipedal stance at higher 
 > speed.  ...
 > 
 > Does the archeosaur body structure share common traits with modern
 > lizards that might make bipedality the prefered mode for high
 > speed travel?

Well, they at least share a more recent common ancestor than either
does with mammals. The lepidosaurs and the archosaurs constitute the
two main branches of the diapsids.

 > Was bipedality actually nothing but a relic from a body form badly
 > designed for the FF/BB gait used by mammals at high speed?

Possibly.

swf@elsegundoca.ncr.com         sarima@ix.netcom.com

The peace of God be with you.