sauropod nostrils (was: New York Times)

["aspidel" <aspidel@infonie.be>]

Garrison Hilliard <garrison@efn.org> wrote, in part :

> In their long efforts to breathe life into dinosaurs, so famously extinct
> in
> all but human fancy, scientists may have been wrong about the position of
> the nostrils through which these huge reptiles breathed, smelled,
> regulated body temperature

I've heared the "new" position of the nose had something to do with
regulation of temperature of dinosaur's _brain_ .
True or false?

> and generally nosed around the Mesozoic landscape.
> (...)
> The new conclusions about the position of the nostrils could be important
> in understanding how dinosaurs found food

and maybe recognise some toxic plants by their smell??

> and detected menacing predators or desirable mates

pheromons??

> and how they attained such enormous sizes. The position of
> the nostrils has a bearing on the organization of the entire respiratory
> system. And, of course, it alters ideas about how dinosaurs looked.

I guess I have to re-draw my _Camarasaurus_ head on the Dinosauricon now...
and also it may occur for my _Paralititan_ artistic project!

Friendly - Luc J. "Aspidel" BAILLY.