:-O Wow, thats fast....
---Rob
Robert Kiely
>From: "David Marjanovic"
>Reply-To: david.marjanovic@gmx.at
>To: "The Dinosaur Mailing List"
>Subject: *Giganotosaurus* running 50 km/h
>Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2001 12:19:20 +0200
>
>This just in from http://www.paleo.pan.pl/acta/acta46-2.htm:
>
>--------------------------------------------
>Blanco, R.E. & Mazzetta, G.V. 2001. A new approach to evaluate the cursorial
>ability of the giant theropod Giganotosaurus carolinii. - Acta
>Palaeontologica Polonica 46, 2, 193-202.
>
>The cursorial capability of the South American giant theropod Giganotosaurus
>carolinii should have been quite limited taking into account the strength
>indicator of its femur (approximately 7 GPa-1) as well as the risk of
>experiencing grave or even lethal injuries involved in the falling of this
>multitonne animal on a run. However, even at low speeds a fall would have
>caused serious injuries. Thus, in accordance to the approach developed in
>this study, the maximum speed of Giganotosaurus should be not that which
>will implicate corporal lesions with minimum probability of lethalness.
>Instead, its maximum speed should be that which would permit the recovery of
>body equilibrium as each step is taken. Taking into consideration this
>approach, an indicator of stability is defined for bipedal, cursorial
>animals. This indicator is determined by the relationship between the time
>available for the movement of hip joint during the retraction of a hindlimb
>and the time needed to move the opposite hindlimb by an angle (in function
>of the speed) of sufficient magnitude as to facilitate the recovery of body
>equilibrium. This indicator was used to estimate the maximum speed of
>locomotion of Giganotosaurus (about 14 m s-1) at which, from a kinematic
>point of view, the danger of falling does not exist.
>------------------------------------------
>
>14 m/s are 50.4 km/h. :-o This implies tyrannosaurs, with more cursorial
>limb proportions, should have been even faster.
>