RE: A sauropod paper and a buttload of ornithopod ones

[Jaime Headden <qi_leong@hotmail.com>]

Tom Holtz wrote:

<Christian, A. 2010. Some sauropods 
raised their necks—evidence for high browsing in Euhelopus 
zdanskyi. Biol. Lett. published online before print June 2, 
2010, doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.0359

Abstract

A very long neck that is apparently suitable for feeding at great 
heights is a characteristic feature of most sauropod dinosaurs. 
Yet, it remains controversial whether any sauropods actually 
raised their necks high. Recently, strong physiological 
arguments have been put forward against the idea of 
high-browsing sauropods, because of the very high blood pressure
 that appears to be inevitable when the head is located several metres 
above the heart. For the sauropod Euhelopus zdanskyi, however, 
biomechanical evidence clearly indicates high browsing. Energy 
expenditure owing to high browsing is compared with energy costs
 for walking a distance. It is demonstrated for Euhelopus as 
well as for the much larger Brachiosaurus that despite an 
increase in the metabolic rate, high browsing was worthwhile for
 a sauropod if resources were far apart.

Open Access: 
just go to 
http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2010/05/29/rsbl.2010.0359.full>

Interesting paper. The calculation of a cost to raise the head from a "resting 
posture" (nearly horizontal) posits that any elevation cots the animal, even if 
its negligible. My take is here: 
http://qilong.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/sauropod-feeding-strategies/

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)





                                          
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