RE: Lack of Running Giant Theropod Tracks

["Richard W. Travsky" <rtravsky@uwyo.edu>]

On Mon, 6 Dec 2010, Sim Koning wrote:
> Augusto Haro wrote:
>
> > I think that the solid contact of the functionally one-piece that is
> > the skull with horns and snout indicates that if flexibility in the
> > neck is to protect the snout, by thrusting it forwards limitedly, it
> > would also limit the horns of entering too much into the body of the
> > predator. However, there are triceratops skulls were the horns direct
> > more dorsally from the skull (at a 90º angle from the skull long
> > axis), and which would make this problem unexistent for those
> > individuals.
>
>
>   This is going to sound silly, but bear with me, because I just noticed 
> something. Grab you scale dinosaur models that you have sitting around 
> (you got to have some) and hold the Triceratops's horns up to the 
> Tyrannosaur's torso. If a Triceratops, or similar ceratopsid charged a

Did that a lot when little.

> T. rex, its rostrum would -pass under- the Tyrannosaur's thorax, while 
> the full length of the orbital horns would be driven into the body, 
> potentially rupturing the heart or lungs. Once the full length of the 
> horns were plunged in to the body, the rostral horn may have further 
> lacerated the underbelly. What I see is a set of horns very well 
> "designed" to kill a large Tyrannosaurus. In fact this is now my next 
> art project: a charging Triceratops killing a T. rex : ) I'll get it 
> scanned into deviant art when I'm done and send you a link.

Well, the models I've seen on store shelves and pictures of remains
tend to show the horns diverging, not pointed directly ahead. I'm not
sure that both horns would be positioned to both pierce the body.

One thing that also occurs to me is if the rex/whatever were charging
or otherwise moving towards the triceratops, would those horns be able
to withstand the impact?

And as far as the rostral horn is concerned, it probably doesn't have
much of an edge, so considerable force might be needed for a similar
piercing function.

Just how well is a ceratopsid skull built to take impaces?