Re: Regarding Spinosaurus

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

Waylon Rowley (whte_rbt_obj@yahoo.com) wrote:
> Hello fellow list members,
>  
>    I was looking at Sereno's skull reconstruction of
> Suchomimus, and I realized that every spinosaur
> dentary I've seen is lateromedially compressed. If
> spinosaurs fed like some piscivorous birds (where they
> "spear" or snatch fish from the water) then  wouldn't
> you expect frequent damage to the bone if the animal
> missed its target? Is it more parsimonious to assume
> that spinosaurs fed by submerging their jaws and
> waiting for a fish to swim too close? The compression
> of the dentary makes me think that it was adapted to
> cope with the fluid resistance when the jaws snapped
> shut underwater (not to mention the weight saved). The
> odd articulation of the cervical vertebrae would make
> it easier for the animal to hold its skull in the
> correct position, and the neural spines would help
> support the forebody during long periods of doing
> nothing but standing near the shore and slowly moving
> the jaws through the water until they struck prey. Any
> thoughts on this portrayal of spinosaur behavior? 
> 
> Cheers,
> Waylon Rowley
>  
> "My train of thought has become a runaway caboose."
> 
> 
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