Re: Bloody feathers & flicky tails

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

Richard Travsky wrote (in response to Betty's and John's (inferred)
posts):

<Rolling on the ground? This brings up the possibility that vertrebral
processes might break or show damage. (Do lion vertrebrae show this?)
Or possibly also show damage to clavicles.>

  Dromaeosaurid dorsal neural spines are short, moreso cranially than
caudally, and robust rather than thin and blade like; they would have
good resistance to lateral bending forces, moreso cranially than
caudally. Additionally, the back musculature, as inferred from
vertebral processes, would have been robust enough to reduce the
lateral exposure of the dorsal spines in life; they would have been
about one-third buried in flesh, and almost invisible except for the
ridge posteriorly, almost unnoticeable anteriorly becuase of the
strong scapular musculature.

  It is then improbable that rolling would have injured these animals'
dorsal neural spines.

==
- Often, it is the man who is brought
  down the path to the end who does
  not see his own steps. -

Jaime A. Headden

Qilong, the website, at:
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