Re: Running speed of T. rex

["Nicholas J. Pharris" <pharrinj@PLU.edu>]

On Thu, 8 Feb 1996, Steve Jackson wrote:

> With regard to Tom's suggestion that T. rex might have been able to run
> faster than it DID run, for safety reasons: Hmm. Are there any modern
> comparisons? Is there any creature that respects a "safety" limit on its
> own abilities?
> 
> I imagine (*guess!*) that a giraffe, running at top speed, would be likely
> to be badly injured if it fell. Lots of mass, high center of gravity,
> spindly legs. So do giraffes not run as fast as they can, or do they just
> (usually) not fall?

Good example.  I'd like to know more about big cursors (particularly 
ratites) and the measures they take to avoid falls, before I subscribe to 
Farlow's model.

The problem of _T. rex_ falling down disappears if _T. rex_ was just 
really good at not falling!

> Steve Jackson, sj@io.com - this will do till I fix my .sig file . . .

Nick Pharris
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
(206)535-8204
PharriNJ@PLU.edu

"If you can't convince them, confuse them." -- Harry S Truman