Regarding Spinosaurus

[Waylon Rowley <whte_rbt_obj@yahoo.com>]

Hello fellow list members,
 
   I was looking at Sereno's skull reconstruction of
Suchomimus, and I realized that every spinosaur
dentary I've seen is lateromedially compressed. If
spinosaurs fed like some piscivorous birds (where they
"spear" or snatch fish from the water) then  wouldn't
you expect frequent damage to the bone if the animal
missed its target? Is it more parsimonious to assume
that spinosaurs fed by submerging their jaws and
waiting for a fish to swim too close? The compression
of the dentary makes me think that it was adapted to
cope with the fluid resistance when the jaws snapped
shut underwater (not to mention the weight saved). The
odd articulation of the cervical vertebrae would make
it easier for the animal to hold its skull in the
correct position, and the neural spines would help
support the forebody during long periods of doing
nothing but standing near the shore and slowly moving
the jaws through the water until they struck prey. Any
thoughts on this portrayal of spinosaur behavior? 

Cheers,
Waylon Rowley
 
"My train of thought has become a runaway caboose."


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