"Acro" ribcage dilemma

["Jordan Mallon" <j_mallon@hotmail.com>]

G?day all,

Just got through watching a taped episode of ?Dinosaur Attack? last night, 
featuring Dr. James Farlow and sculptor Dave Thomas (God rest his soul), and 
something puzzled me.  In the show, Dale Russell suggests something to the 
effect that because the ribcage of _Acrocanthosaurus_ was so narrow, the 
animal would have relied solely on an anaerobic metabolism when chasing prey 
since it would not have had the capacity to inhale much air in times 
strenuous activity.  That said, that?s about all that the explanation the 
viewer got, and so I was just wondering if anyone might be able to elaborate 
on this for me.  Were there any other theropods that might have exhibited 
this adaptation?  So far as I know, we all shift gear to anaerobic 
respiration in times of physical stress, but not to the same extent as 
Russell seemingly proposed for _Acrocanthosaurus_.
Thanks in advance.

-Jordan Mallon

http://www.geocities.com/paleoportfolio/


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