Re: Penguins And Rexes

[Mike Lima <taradosgon@yahoo.com>]

--- Jordan Mallon <jordan.mallon@gmail.com> wrote:

> On 8/12/05, Phil Bigelow <bigelowp@juno.com> wrote:
> 
> > The following is pure speculation.  If a huge
> *terrestrial* animal could
> > not extricate itself from a fall, or it could not
> extricate itself from
> > an "unsual" rest position (e.g., laying on its
> side), then I propose that
> > the animal never existed in the first place.
> 
> I imagine this has been discussed on list before
> (and I appologize for
> bringing it up again if it has), but to run with
> Don's original
> question, could sauropods sleep standing up as
> elephants and horses
> do?  I have a hard time picturing them getting up
> from laying on their
> sides.  I imagine sleeping while standing would
> require some sort of
> "locking" of the limb joints so as to allow the limb
> muscles to relax.
>  I don't imagine we can see this in amorphous
> sauropod bones... but do
> we?


Could they not lower themselves with legs curled
underneath or behind like giraffes and smaller bovines
do? In the case of Titanosaurs, if they are compressed
ventrodorsally it seems like that would prevent them
from rolling into a position that they couldn't raise
up from.


                
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