Re: A Tale of Two Tails

[Jeffrey Martz <martz@holly.ColoState.EDU>]

Richard Dieterls wrote...
>In order for this to work, the Hadrosaur would have to turn its back on
>the Tyrannosaur (etc.) and await the attack, since a bipedal animal
>running full tilt can't use its balancing organ this way without itself 
>loosing its footing. And there is the matter of leverage: to execute a good 
>swat, the Hadrosaur would have to remain relatively stationary.

     I might also point out that the hadrosaur tail starts out with
a thick base but tapers pretty strongly posteriorly.  Kind of a funny
design for swatting big theropods.  Compare with the tip heavy tails of
ankylosaurs or Shunosaurus.        

> In any case, I wouldn't 
> want to be in the shoes of a 10 year old kid 30 seconds after he knocked 
> Arnold 
> Schwartzeneger off his feet and took off running.  

    If Arnold was trying to kill the kid in the first place, it would
hardly make matters worse.

LN Jeff
O-