Re: Why were _Tyrannosaurus rex_ forelimbs so massively muscled?

[Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>]

Larry Dunn wrote:
> 
> ... And, if so, why would this be so if they were so
> evidently useless?  (I've heard some of the theories
> of usage for the forelimbs, but they seem, frankly,
> ludicrous in the face of the restorations done by
> Horner's people and others.)

I like the idea that they were used to help the beast get up. If tyrannosaurs
spent much time lying around (and that huge pubic boot is obviously there for
some reason), they may have had to rock forward to get up in order to begin
straightening their legs. Maybe the forelimbs were still there (rather than
being lost entirely, or vestigialised like in Carnotaurus) to stop them scooting
forward on their chests before they could pivot their front section up to
complete the proceedure. I've noticed that Carnotaurus seems to have quite a
small pubic boot - perhaps it used a different method (or just avoided lying
down). Ratites seem to manage without forelimbs, although I've noticed a decided
lack of 6 tonne ratites either living or extinct.

I don't think much of the idea of the forelimbs being used during mating. Who'd
want to antagonise a 6 tonne female by jabbing her with meat hooks at the
critical moment? (please don't answer that question)

-- 
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        Dann Pigdon
        GIS Archaeologist
        Melbourne, Australia

        Australian Dinosaurs:
        http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/4459/
        http://www.alphalink.com.au/~dannj
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