Re: late night thoughts: not all T. rexes were adults

[Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>]

don ohmes writes: 

> Hard to see, specially at night. Although the feathers are a bit much... also highly important to my simple mind is the ability to adopt a tripodal squatting pose that can be held effortlessly for hours. Anybody got a clue on that last?

The huge pubic boot of tyrannosaurs would seem to indicate that a long-term 
squat wasn't out of the question. The big question is; how quickly could a 
tyrannosaur rise up out of a squat? 

Perhaps if it rocked back on it's pubic boot (putting more weight 
temporarily onto its tail) while straightening it's legs, then it's head 
would be coming down and forward at the end of rising (good for an immediate 
strike with the jaws). If it rocked forward however, raising the tail first, 
then the head would be moving up and back as it completed rising, meaning it 
might miss an opportunity to snap at whatever disturbed it. 

Camels get up backside-first (throwing the occasional unsuspecting rider 
over its head). I think from memory that horses get up backside-last. What 
would be easiest for a tyrannosaur? Given the tiny forelimbs, I'd think 
head-first / backside-last would be the better option when rising. 

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Dann Pigdon
GIS / Archaeologist         http://www.geocities.com/dannsdinosaurs
Melbourne, Australia        http://heretichides.soffiles.com
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