Anlylosaurus Tails - for Jerzy Dyczkowski

[bucketfoot-al@justice.com]

Jerzy - Last year's BBC Special answered just these
very questions by reconstructing an Ankylosaurus tail
and then using it to break a piece of wood that was as
big around as your calf like it was a matchstick - in
the same show a reconstructed hydraulic TRex jaw bit
through reconstructed Ankylosaur skin...

after the reconstructions did their work, a CGI scene
recreated the battle "in real life"...they did the same
with a Triceratops-TRex battle, and a
Velociraptor-Protoceratops battle - proving (in my mind
anyway) that the foot claw of the Velociraptor was NOT
a 'slashing tool', but was instead used with precision
to puncture the jugular vein of the prey so it would
bleed to death....

Here is a link to the shows in case you didn't see them:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/tv_radio/killer_dinosaurs/

P.S.  Oh, and that scene in Jurassic Park where the
TRex destroys an SUV by tearing it apart with its jaws?
 Accurate - the same mechanical hydraulic TRex jaws
annihilated a compact car in the same program....

Jerzy wrote:

"Just a question - were ankylosaurids able to swing
their tails to the side and
upwards, or only sideways. And how quick movement it
would be?

It could be a clue to their function - sideways
swinging can be used both
against predator and conspecifics, but swinging upwards
is good indication that
tails were employed against predatory dinosaurus.

Jerzy Dyczkowski

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