Re: Sauropod neck positions: "High" is a relative term.

[tlford@ix.netcom.com]

On 02/24/98 12:45:17 you wrote:
>
>
>First, a term: "Neutral position" of the neck articulation
>means the position where the zygopophyses are fully
>overlapping each other.  All other positions are when
>the zyg's are slid slightly off full contact.
>

Yada, yada, yada...

Just to put my two cents worth in, I recently wrote an article for Prehistoric 
Times (out this 
month) on Sauropod necks. Mainly I wanted to talk about the shapes of the 
necks, ie, width, 
length, height, etc. I was asked to make comments on the above, 
'cyber-paleontology resarch on 
sauropod necks. Well, to make a long story short, after doing drawings of 
complete or nearly 
complete sauropod necks (even though, they are the largest of the dinosaurs, 
they also have the 
most monographs than any other dinosaur) by articulating the cervical vertebrae 
(the best I 
could) I would have to agree with Parrish etc. I was taken aback, but, it works 
very well. The 
neck in Diplodocids bend, naturally (if the drawings are correct) down.

Tracy