(More Addendum)Now Ichnology (WAS Semi-Sprawled Sauropods) (Was: WAVP Report)

[Marilyn Wegweiser <mdwegweiser@bsuvc.bsu.edu>]

At 1:32 PM -0700 2/19/01, Richard W Travsky wrote:
> On Mon, 19 Feb 2001, Ken Kinman wrote:
> >       Unfortunately, there really are no hard "facts" about posture of
> >  dinosaurs, although some interpretations are perhaps more widely believed
>
> What information can be gleaned from trackways? (I would not think
> it necessary to associate tracks with a specific species, just whether,
> in they case, they are sauropod or not.)

Dear Rich,

And from all of the preceding, we can start to discern implications 
of the physiology (perhaps) of the tracemaker by placement of the 
feet, how the limbs were attached to the animal (perhaps)  by the 
traces of its passing and the speed of the gaits that it was 
traveling at.

Impairments, such as missing limbs (this works better if you have 
more than 4; polydactyly is good), deformed limbs, broken and healed 
limbs may show up in the traces as well. You probably didn't last 
long enoug during the Mesozoic to make tracks if you were 
limping......

Can you tell I like tracks?
;^)
--
                        =00=  =00=  =00=  =00=
                        Marilyn D. Wegweiser, Ph.D.
                Adjunct Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology
                     Cincinnati Natural History Museum

Assistant Professor of Geology
Department of Geology                   mdwegweiser@bsu.edu
Ball State University                   Office: 765-285-8268;765-285-8270
Muncie, Indiana                         FAX:    765-285-8265