Re: Tsintaosaurus and Mamenchisaurus

[William Gibson Parker <wgp@dana.ucc.nau.edu>]

-Bill Parker
Northern Arizona University

On Tue, 21 Jul 1998, RAY D STANFORD wrote:

> 
>     In response to the question of whether someone goofed (on Tsintaosaurus
> spinorhinus and/or Mamanchisaurus:  As to Manenchisaurus, nobody goofed.
> The wonderfully articulated skeleton of Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis was
> excavated in 1957 a joint team from the Sichuan Museum and the Chonquing
> Museum, requiring three months to expose the whole marvelous thing.
> Excellent photographs document the completeness of the post-cranial
> skeleton, and they are published in various books, including DINOSAURS FROM
> CHINA by Dong Zhiming  (English translation by Angela C. Milner) published
> by the British Museum (Natural History) and China Ocean Press (1988). page
> 37.  [If the incredible neck was not an adaptation to 'grazing'  IN WATER--
> conceivably even to swimming --  then I'd like to hear a better
> explanation.]

Of course if the fossil evidence supports it...I just think that some of
these features must have been more pain than they were worth and not much
fun to live with. 
-Bill Parker
 > 
>     As to Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus, it was excavated by Professor C.C.
> Young in 1951 and named in 1958.  Photos in the book just referenced (pages
> 75 and 76) suggest to me that this 'spike' was probably NOT the result of
> injury, because at its anterior base one clearly sees seemingly WELL-FORMED
> central and latero-central bony support structures (ridges) that seemingly
> would not be the result of injury.  Also, there is a distinct bifurcation at
> the top on this 'spike' that looks natural and not trauma-related.  The
> whole structure makes me wonder: Could it have supported an 'air bag' or
> even a 'bellows-like' mechanism useful in producing loud, distinct calls?
> Where are you Steven Speilberg? ;-)
> 
>     For what it's worth (or not worth), that my 'two bits' on the subject.
> 
>     Ray Stanford
>