Turning Tyrannosaur

[Gautam Majumdar <gmajumdar@freeuk.com>]

Came across this publication. Don't think this has been mentioned here.

Biology Letters 
Issue: Volume 271, Number S3 / February 07, 2004 
Pages: S57 - S60 
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2003.0097 

Tyrannosaurus en pointe: allometry minimized rotational inertia of large 
carnivorous dinosaurs 
 
Donald M. Henderson A1, Eric Snively A1 
 
A1 Vertebrate Morphology and Palaeontology Research Group, Department of 
Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, 
Canada 
 
Abstract: 
 
Theropod dinosaurs attained the largest body sizes among terrestrial 
predators, and were also unique in being exclusively bipedal. With only 
two limbs for propulsion and balance, theropods would have been greatly 
constrained in their locomotor performance at large body size. Using 
three-dimensional restorations of the axial bodies and limbs of 12 
theropod dinosaurs, and determining their rotational inertias (RIs) 
about a vertical axis, we show that these animals expressed a pattern 
of phyletic size increase that minimized the increase in RI associated 
with increases in body size. By contrast, the RI of six quadrupedal, 
carnivorous archosaurs exhibited changes in body proportions that were 
closer to those predicted by isometry. Correlations of low RI with high 
agility in lizards suggest that large theropods, with low relative RI, 
could engage in activities requiring higher agility than would be 
possible with isometric scaling.

url: (all in one line)
http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/app/home/contribution.asp?
wasp=03x1mb085p6vwh58bn5u&referrer=parent&backto=
issue,18,38;journal,2,4;linkingpublicationresults,id:110824,1

-- 

Gautam Majumdar

Please send e-mails to gmajumdar@freeuk.com