Re: Sauropod ONP...and energetics

[Scott Selberg <ssselberg@hotmail.com>]

 Regarding the question sauropod neck posture energetics (why have such a 
long "expensive" neck to graze when the animal can more easily just take a 
step or two?) there has been one important factor left out because it is 
entirely speculative: the temperment of these animals.

  For arguments sake, let's say that in general sauropods had an aggressive 
temperment.Let's say also that adult sauropods were protected from predators 
by their size.And let's grant that although sauropods were gregarious,that 
their food requirements dictated that individuals needed to lay claim to 
large area in which to feed.

  In this scenario,the long whiplash tails were not used primarily for 
protection from predators, but for use to put space between individual 
sauropods,that each individual within the group created around itself a sort 
of movable territory,and that the long neck was useful for gathering up the 
food within this "bubble".Given their huge size and simple brains,this seems 
like a viable explanation for the outrageously long necks AND tails of some 
sauropods--that they formed a loop.
If a sauropod individual strayed into another ones space,instead of a full 
on fight between two gigantic creatures,the invader recieves a tail slap 
from the animal who's space it has wandered into,
it having first perhaps recieved a warning either vocal or from a snapping 
whiplash sound from the wronged party. It seems that speaking energetically, 
a tail slap is far more efficient than a full-on physical 
confontation.Anther point: The tail seems rather high in the air to be 
designed for whacking allosaurs.

 Also,with this behavior perhaps very young sauropods could more easily 
avoid being inadvertantly squashed by their elders,as there would be space 
enough between the otherwise oblivious adults in which to maneuver .

Scott Selberg