Re: Swimming spinosaurus

["Mickey Mortimer" <Mickey_Mortimer11@msn.com>]

Jordan Mallon wrote-

> Hypothesized, yes.  But I really, really doubt if it could.  Even Charig
and
> Milner, who (I believe) were the first to suggest such a stance, have
> recently reneged on this idea.  Besides that, as Demetrios already pointed
> out, how could _Baryonyx_ get down on all fours if it's hands couldn't
> pronate?  (Could they?)

Actually, Charig and Milner (1986) originally suggested facultative
quadrupedality.  They later (1997) reneged on that, but still supported a
quadrupedal stance while fishing.  It's a good question whether spinosaurid
hands could pronate, as no carpi are known, and the metacarpus is only
represented by a third metacarpal in Suchomimus.  Of course, they were most
parsimoniously similar to other basal tetanurines.  However, I don't feel
quadrupedal locomotion would be neccessary if Spinosaurus had a hump in any
case.  It would not have been that heavy to such a massive animal.  Perhaps
the reason everybody is against humps is because they think of camels.  It
would be more appropriate to term these whithers, as that is what they are
most similar to.  It just requires having some muscle and tendon attaching
the neural spines and thicker at the base.  This isn't some gigantic mass of
fat extending out to the lateral margins of the body.

Mickey Mortimer