RE: Platyhystrix and dinosaur humps/sails

["Tracy Ford" <tlford@ix.netcom.com>]

>
> I was going through some of my books and came across a picture of the
> sailbacked amphibian, Platyhystrix. The spines on its back resembled those
> of Spinosaurus and Ouranosaurus- flat and blade-like. I've never seen its
> skeleton, just a few illustrations, but I was wondering this: if we were
to
> say dinosaurs have humps because their spines resemble humped mammals,
> shouldn't we say the same for Platyhystrix?

What also needs to be looked at is how many neural spines are tall.
Ouranosaurus has tall spines from the first dorsals to the middle of the
tail (though they are shorter toward the tail). Spinosaurus really isn't
known it the tail had tall spines from what is known of the skeleton.
Lambeosaurus? Laticatulus (sic) has very tall spines on the back and tail.
The Mongolian/Chinese hadrosaurs had tall caudal and short dorsal spines.
Rebbaciosaurus/Royosaurus, Dicraeosaurus, have tall spines, even Apatosaurus
has tall posterior dorsals, sacrals and anterior caudals. What about
Lotosaurus? Or Ctenosauricus?
A hump, I personally doubt it in dinosaurs.
Tracy