Re: Not dinosaurs

[JCMcL <darwincr@laplaza.taos.nm.us>]

On Thu, 25 Jan 1996 Dinogeorge@aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 96-01-25 21:15:01 EST, darwincr@laplaza.taos.nm.us (JCMcL)
> writes:
> 
> >The African elephant uses its ears as radiators.  How does surface area 
> >of elephant ears compare with body volume?
> >
> >
> 
> It's not the total body volume--it's merely the volume of the radiating
> organs that's operative here.
> 
Right; surface area of radiating organs compared to body volume as a 
whole, I think.  My question is, why would the long sauropod tail (in 
addition to the neck) not be an aid to cooling the vast bod, much as 
elephant ears are an aid to cooling these admittedly smaller but still 
rather hefty organisms?  

I think, George, that you suggested that the surface area of the sauropod 
tail is too small to have aided in cooling.  I lack this certainty, and 
am interested to note the frequency with which long long tails show up in 
these large beasts.  

My own suspicion is that the "whip defense" function, if real, is 
secondary to some other function of such tails, or is derived.  

John McLoughlin