Re: Diplodocid duck-and-cover techniques

[Betty Cunningham <bettyc@flyinggoat.com>]

horses have near 360 degree vision and don't need to turn around to see
behind them.

what sort of field of vision would a diplodicus have anyways?

What keeps the diplodicus from smacking the tail into big trees and
rocks if it isn't looking where the tail is going?  Wouldn't this
behavior lead to a VERY high probability of broken tails?

-Betty Cunningham

Patrick Norton wrote:
> 
> >A tail that massive wouldn't necessarily need direction.<
> 
> If your argument is that a swinging tail is an effective defense mechansim
> even if the animal couldn't see behind itself, then you have to agree that
> the tail would need to be in side to side motion >constantly< to be of any
> effect whatsoever. This seems to be not only a huge waste of energy, but a
> behavior that would easily be overcome by a predator.
> 
> > I've seen horses blindly kick at whatever's behind them<
> 
> If this is only a behaviour directed towards "whatever's behind them", then
> it's not so blind, is it? Horses don't go around kicking their hind legs all
> the time, do they?
> 
> PTN

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