Re: Leaellynasaura, Tails, and Integument

["TooTs" <DragonsClaw@gmx.net>]

"anterior and dorsoventral elongation of
> postzygapophyses"

Just to be sure: is that supposed to mean "elongated pre-, post- 
zygapophyses, and chevrons". Similar to the condition observable in 
Dromaeosauridae and Microraptoria?

Greets!
Torsten


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jocelyn Falconnet" <j.falconnet@gmail.com>
To: <tijawi@yahoo.com>
Cc: <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 11:32 AM
Subject: Re: Leaellynasaura, Tails, and Integument


> Pretty neat idea... except that the distal half of the tail was
> stiffened by the anterior and dorsoventral elongation of
> postzygapophyses - up to 44% of the vertebral length !! - according to
> Herne (2009).
>
> What seems incompatible with a curling behaviour such as seen in the
> pangolin. Also, the pangolin uses its tail to protect its head and
> belly because its body is covered dorsally by a number of alternating
> flattened scales.Here, the presence of soft, keratinized scales does
> not stiffened the body of the animal contrary to osteoderms which
> tends to do so and are often associated to coossification of (e.g.:
> armadillos, crocodiles, or turtles for extant taxa; aetosaurs and
> other crurotarsians, placodonts, chronosuchians, or dissorophoid
> temnospondyls for fossils).
>
> Jocelyn Falconnet
>
> 2010/7/12 Tim Williams <tijawi@yahoo.com>:
> > Yes, the incredibly long tail combined with the suggestion of 
> > thyreophoran affinities, made me think of the pangolin (so-called 'scaly 
> > ant-eater'), which can curl itself into a ball with the long tail used to 
> > protect the head.
> >
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > Tim
> >
> >
> >
> > --- On Fri, 9/7/10, Jaime Headden <qi_leong@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > From: Jaime Headden <qi_leong@hotmail.com>
> > > Subject: Re: Leaellynasaura, Tails, and Integument
> > > To: "Dinosaur Mailing List" <dinosaur@usc.edu>
> > > Received: Friday, 9 July, 2010, 6:31 AM
> > >
> > > Re: recent comments on the proposed tail length (70+
> > > elements, 3/4 of
> > > the body length being tail, etc.) of a referred specimen to
> > >
> > > *Leaellynasaura amicagraphica* (Herne, SVP/JVP 29(supp to
> > > 3):113A) has prompted me to provide some
> > > observations (such as the extremely long tails of some
> > > other
> > > ornithischians) here:
> > > http://qilong.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/leaellynasaura-and-caudal-length-in-ornithischians/.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > This follows treatments on the animal by Dann Pigdon and
> > > Matt Matrynuick
> > > here: http://home.alphalink.com.au/~dannj/leaell.htm and
> > > here:
> > > http://dinogoss.blogspot.com/2010/07/tall-tail.html
> > > (respectively). It
> > > should also be noted that Wikipedia, citing Herne's
> > > abstract, not
> > > present until very recently, has now updated:
> > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaellynasaura . How swift
> > > this information
> > > spreads when publicized! Imagine how much more information
> > > will spread
> > > this season when blogging advances publicity of SVP and
> > > SVPCA (and GSA)
> > > later this year.
> > >
> > > Cheers,
> > >
> > > Jaime A. Headden
> > > The Bite Stuff (site v2)
> > > http://qilong.wordpress.com/
> > >
> > > "Innocent, unbiased observation is a myth." --- P.B.
> > > Medawar (1969)
> > >
> > >
> > > "Ever since man first left his cave and met a stranger with
> > > a
> > > different language and a new way of looking at things, the
> > > human race
> > > has had a dream: to kill him, so we don't have to learn his
> > > language or
> > > his new way of looking at things." --- Zapp Brannigan
> > > (Beast With a Billion Backs)
> >
> > > _________________________________________________________________
> > > The New Busy think 9 to 5 is a cute idea. Combine multiple
> > > calendars with Hotmail.
> > > http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?tile=multicalendar&ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_5
>
>
>
> --
> Jocelyn Falconnet