Re: The Face of Death

[Phil Bigelow <bigelowp@juno.com>]

Bone rugosity probably has a purpose (rugosity is, from a morphological
point of view, complex, and Nature doesn't favor complexity for no reason
- - Occam's Razor).

The question is, what was that purporse?  _Tyrannosaurus rex_ also had
highly rugose nasal bones that were perforated by nutrient foraminae. 
Why did the _T. rex_ nasal bones need that much blood, along with an
increased surface area, compared to an allosaur's nasals or an
ornithomimid's nasals?

The "brow horns" may have been sheathed by keratin, and the nasal region
may have had a flaring skin flap or a flaring feathery plumage.  It's all
speculative of course, but IMHO something was going on with _T. rex_'s
headgear.

<pb>
--

On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 00:16:17 +0000 Dinosaur World <dinoworld@msn.com>
writes:
> I have a replica of the skull of Stan, the Tyrannosaurus. He has, 
> what 
> appears to be, brow horns (Postorbital rugosity?), over each orbit. 
> Is it 
> possible for these to be moved or manipulated to alter the 
> ?expression? of 
> the face? Could a Tyrannosaur use facial expression to threaten or 
> intimidate a rival?
> 
> Any opinions?
> 
> 
> 
> 


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