Re: [Re: Platyhystrix and dinosaur humps/sails]

[christopher robert noto <crnoto@midway.uchicago.edu>]

I thought that it really hasn't been decided how to tell the
sex of a dinosaur or other extinct species, if possible at all, since no
soft parts are preserved. As for Suchomimus, it has a low "sail" of about
1.5-2 ft at it's highest point, about over the hips.  The neural spines
are broad and have slighlty enlarged top edges (excuse my lack of
scientific verbatim) which appears to me to be muscle attachment scars.
Hump-wise or sail-wise, I know that Sereno is in favor of a taught skin
covering without much muscle underneath.  Looking at it, I think it could
be possible for it to have more of a ridge like Acrocanthosaurus and I
think I actually mentioned that to him once.  That's all I have for now.

Chris

On Thu, 9 Mar 2000, Mary Nalasco wrote:

> Okay, thanks for clearing that up.
> 
> I was wondering whether possible female specimens of high-spined dinos have 
> been found, too. Ouranosaurus had a distinctive skull, and unless males had 
> that "proto-crest" or whatever you'd call it as well as a sail, I don't 
> think any candidates are known. Spinosaurus and Baryonyx differ in their 
> teeth and other subtle things like that, and while I don't know that much 
> about Suchomimius, the impression I get is that it too differs in small but 
> important ways (BTW, how long are its spines? Would it have a ridge like 
> Acrocanthosaurus and such, or the hump/sail of Spinosaurus and 
> Ouranosaurus?)
> 
>          -M. Nalasco
> 
> >From: "Stephen Priestley" <sn2192@uniserve.com>
> >Reply-To: <stephen_priestley@sunshine.net>
> >To: <dinosaur@usc.edu>
> >Subject: [Re: Platyhystrix and dinosaur humps/sails]
> >Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 15:57:03 -0800
> >
> >Mary Nalasco said:
> > > seperate genera), someone made mention of perhaps Dimetrodon being the
> >male
> > > of one species and Sphenacodon being the female of it. The person who
> >said
> > > it sounded somewhat doubtful about it, and I was wondering if anyone
> >could
> > > shed some more light on it?
> >
> >That was me but I fear that my wording may have sabotaged my meaning. Sorry
> >for the confusion. I was not trying to put this forward as a serious
> >suggestion.
> >
> >Both Dimetrodon and Sphenacodon are large, advanced form sphenacodontines
> >and that, not sexual dimorphism, is why they resemble each other.
> >Dimetrodon is found in Oklahoma and Texas, while Sphenacodon is only found
> >in New Mexico (albeit, along with a single specimen of Dimetrodon). In any
> >case, there were other advanced sphenacodontines with sails (Ctenospondylus
> >and Secodontosaurus, for example) who have no sail-less cousins who could
> >be mistaken for "females".
> >
> >So, my question is, are there dinosaurs with exaggerated neural spines
> >which have "relatives" whose distinquishing features might be attributed
> >solely to sexual dimorphism?
> >
> >Regards, Stephen Priestley
> 
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