Gallery and Commentary for Copenhagen Mamenchisaurus - apologies to Mike

[DinoBoyGraphics@aol.com]

I just wanted to point out to the list that my previous post was not aimed at 
Mike Taylor, but rather at advocates of the hooverasaurus idea that ignore 
energetics; Mike's stance on the issue is entirely reasonable.

On to the topics of necks:

>>Which of these category do you place _Cetiosaurus_ in?<<

Actually, DOES Cetiosaurus have a neck terribly longer than was necessary to 
reach the ground?  Niether Shunosaurus or Haplocanthosaurus, nor for that 
matter, Camarasaurus, seem to have necks greatly in excess of the length it 
takes to reach the ground, they just are fairly tall animals, so require long 
necks.  While I maintain that Camarasaurus was not a grazer for other (and 
currently unpublished) reasons, I do not otherwise find it unreasonable that 
Camrasaurus spent more time grazing than diplodocids did.

I don't pretend to be familiar enough with the Cetiosaurus material to judge, 
but it seems there are a number of groups of sauropods with relatively shorter 
necks that may have grazed, or at elast spent a larger portion of their time 
doing so.


Scott Hartman
Zoology & Physiology
University of Wyoming
Laramie, WY 82070

(307) 742-3799