RE: Dinosaur tail dragging

["Stewart, Dwight" <Dwight.Stewart@VLSI.com>]

        -----Original Message-----
        From:   James R. Cunningham [SMTP:jrccea@bellsouth.net]
        Sent:   Sunday, September 06, 1998 12:23 PM
        To:     102354.2222@compuserve.com
        Cc:     dinosaur@usc.edu; INTERNET:PTJN@aol.com
        Subject:        Re: Dinosaur tail dragging

        If the animal is structurally equipped to use his rear legs as a
kingpost and
        simultaneously resist the tail moment with ligaments or tendons (as
opposed to
        muscle power) in tension along or near the top of the vertebrae,
then carrying
        the tail off the ground would be far less expensive.  If the tail
has to be
        supported by muscle power, then the energetics of carrying vs.
dragging would
        vary from animal to animal and moment to moment (no pun intended --
at least,
        no good pun).
        Best wishes,
        JimC

        Precisely.

        Dwight
        > -------------------- Begin Original Message --------------------
        >
        > Message text written by INTERNET:PTJN@aol.com
        >
        > "
        >  A question for Jerry or for some engineers out there (Jim
Cunningham?):
        > Would
        > it be energetically less expensive for an animal like a large
sauropod to
        > hold
        > its tail off the ground or to drag it? "
        >
        > -------------------- End Original Message --------------------