RE: 'Kitchen science' reveals dinosaurs died in agony

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> dinoboygraphics@aol.com
>
> Actually, the authors do explicitly (and convincingly, IMO) address the 
> issue of oblique fish death poses.  Everyone should read the paper, 
> it's quite well done, with very good controls (it's not every day that 
> we get to run control experiments in paleo...).

Agreed!!

Note that they are explictly dealing with opsithotony (the extreme **dorsal** 
hyperextension of the neck and tail). This is distinct from pleurothotony 
(lateral curvature), which is not uncommon in long-necked fossils of animals 
which likely were not endotherms (pachypleurosaurs, plesiosaurs, hyphalosaurid 
choristoderes, etc.

Grimly, the authors discuss that this posture can occur in humans... Ick.


                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
        Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
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