Re: the longest animal?

["Berislav Krzic" <veselinka.stanisavac@siol.net>]

George wrote
>>>How would one measure "length"? A squid is "longer" across the tentacles
with
the tentacles spread apart radially than it is when measured in the
"orthodox"
manner, from "rear end" to tips of tentacles.


You've got a point here: a pendant to a wing-span. We take as a measure a
wing-span in pterosaurs, birds, bats and some insects, for instance. I think
in the case of Architeuthis (giant squid) both measures (radial and length)
are taken - however, the length of this animal is from the tip of its
head-body to the tip of its longest tentacles stretched (not spread
radially).

Berislav Krzic
veselinka.stanisavac@siol.net
Beri's Dinosaur World
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/1638/index.html
Dinosaur Books
http://www2.siol.net/ext/zza/index.html