Re: Lack of Running Giant Theropod Tracks

["Scott" <hmwh@comcast.net>]

I remember some report 35 years ago that the Chicago Bears, as part of a 
training camp, were assigned to keep up with preschoolers for a Saturday 
morning. They couldn't do it.
Scott Perry
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dann Pigdon" <dannj@alphalink.com.au>
To: <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2010 5:32 PM
Subject: Re: Lack of Running Giant Theropod Tracks


> On Tue, Nov 30th, 2010 at 9:02 AM, Mike Taylor <mike@indexdata.com> wrote:
>
> > On 29 November 2010 21:55, Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au> wrote:
> > >> Do we know of any extant animals in which the juveniles can run faster
> > >> than the adults? While no doubt there must be a way exceptions (sea
> > >> squirts? :-)), I think they ARE exceptions. I'm not convinced by the
> > >> widespread a priori assumption that adult ceratopsians and
> > >> tyrannosaurs were slower than the juveniles.
> > >
> > > I don't know about 'faster', but baby rhinos certainly run 'more often' 
> > > than their parents.
> >
> > That is also true of humans; but adults can run faster than children
> > when they try.  I think that's the case with the great majority of
> > animals.
>
> Sure - but have you ever tried to keep up with a toddler all day? Chances 
> are the adult will tire
> long before the toddler does. And whereas the adult might need eight hours 
> of sleep to recharge,
> the toddler can usually turn the dial up to eleven again after just a 
> brief nap.
>
> Speed over the short-term is one thing, but overall endurance can still 
> win the day (the
> old 'tortoise and hare' scenario, if I'm not mistaken).
>
> --
> _____________________________________________________________
>
> Dann Pigdon
> Spatial Data Analyst               Australian Dinosaurs
> Melbourne, Australia               http://home.alphalink.com.au/~dannj
> _____________________________________________________________