Re: Rearing up on hind legs (was Re: Parrish's neck work ...)

[Danvarner@aol.com]

In a message dated 99-05-03 16:53:35 EDT, Dann Pigdon wrote:

<< 
 The question is not just "could they rear up", but also "did they
 rear up". We know that circus elephants can do it (or can be MADE to
 do it), however such rearing behaviour doesn't seem to be very common
 in wild elephants (at least, I can only ever remember seeing footage
 of it once, out of many elephant documentaries over the years).

 I imagine that there are many such images. Greg Paul alerted us to one on 
the cover of _Natural History_magazine about a year ago. 
 
 As far as blood pressure problems go, perhaps sauropods had all
 sorts of nifty devices for preventing them, just like modern whales
 do. They have ways of minimising the effects of pressure changes and
 blood deoxygenation. After all, what is the size and weight of
 sauropods often compared to? And what does the word Cetiosaurus actually
 mean?  :)
  >>
 
  Don't forget that whales (and mosasaurs!) are bouyant and nearly weightless 
in their native environment, although pressure gradients must be taken into 
consideration. Sauropods were the heaviest animals ever, bar none. Gravity 
was always on their backs! Dan Varner.