Re: sauropod necks-buckaroobwana is back! ha ha ha ha ha !!

[Dinogeorge@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/7/99 11:53:49 AM EST, gbabcock@best.com writes:

<< Sauropods may have shed body heat via the long
 tail and neck, which were relatively high in surface area and low in volume, 
as
 others have pointed out. >>

Actually, sauropod neck and tail, being basically cylindrical in shape, have 
relatively low surface area as well as relatively low volume and were 
probably not very good body-heat dumps (though not a complete bust). For heat 
shedding (or acquisition), sheetlike structures (such as ceratopian frills, 
dimetrodon and spinosaur sails, stegosaur plates, and elephant ears), which 
combine high surface area with low volume, are best. Helps a lot if such bony 
structures are highly vascularized (as in ceratopian frills and stegosaur 
plates) for extensive blood flow. Now, if the sauropod neck supported a 
sheetlike structure (as in Amargasaurus?), then you might have decent heat 
exchange.