Re: Cretaceous taeniodont

["Tim Williams" <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

John Bois wrote:

> Is it not true that the smallest dinosaurs were bipedal?

Perhaps the smallest dinosaur species were bipeds as adults.  But most 
juvenile dinosaurs may have been quadrupedal, since their proportions 
(larger head, shorter tail, etc) would have resulted in a more anterior 
center of mass.  If dino species were altricial, then these young'uns 
wouldn't have much need to move very far on all-fours.  A ontogenetic shift 
from quadrupedality to bipedality has been demonstrated for _Dryosaurus 
lettowvorbecki_ using skeletal material from different ontogenetic stages.

_________________________________________________________________
Tax headache? MSN Money provides relief with tax tips, tools, IRS forms and 
more! http://moneycentral.msn.com/tax/workshop/welcome.asp