Re: Sauropod and forest dwelling

[carlo godel <regiaero@gj.net>]

Matthew
another thought comes to mind here. Bakker and his group found a sauropod
skeleton stuck in the mud up to it's belly they called it at first Bertha it is
now known as Bert so it seems they were not hydrophobic
but the size of the footprint compared to the mass of the animal would have made
for very poor flotation in mud.
Carlo

Matthew Bonnan wrote:

> Okay, okay, okay.  I've resisted the temptation long enough.  I have to say
> something about sauropods, even if just briefly (am I every brief?). =)
>
> What I am seeing in my research is that the hind feet of sauropods,
> particularly those of diplodocids, are a bit more flexible than you would
> think.  I have seen numerous references to sauropod hind feet being immobile
> support structures or "fixed" joints.  The most colorful description I have
> seen in this regard is from the late Jim Jensen who described the
> contribution of the pes (hindfoot) to sauropod locomotion as equivalent to
> the rubber stopper on the end of a crutch. =)
>
> Diplodocids have very flexible toes for such big animals.  How do I know
> this?  I've been articulating them every chance I have, and they do not
> compare to elephant toes.  Instead, the whole foot appears to have been
> capable of some limited sideways rocking (eversion) and up and down
> mobility.
>
> Camarasaurs appear more limited in the their ability to move the toes and
> hind foot.  With such mobile feet, perhaps diplodocid sauropods are not as
> hydrophobic as people make them out to be.  Big, flexible feet seem ideal
> for walking in mud.  I'll leave it there for now.
>
> The forefeet are another story entirely, and that is for another time.
> Plus, as I keep lamenting, I am writing the hind foot stuff up now as we
> speak.  There are stats involved and computer shape analysis, so compiling
> it all together is taking longer than anticipated.  Still, sauropods beat
> elephants any day (and I can say that knowing that this is a dinosaur list)!
>   Remember that reptiles, especially sauropods, represent the pinnacle of
> evolution: all efficiency with little thought. =)
>
> Matt Bonnan
>
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