RE: Ornithischian dinosaur quadrupedality

[Jaime Headden <qi_leong@hotmail.com>]

David Marjanovic wrote, quoting from an abstract:

<"[...] a femur longer than the tibia are found to be robust correlates of 
quadrupedality in ornithischian dinosaurs."

Can this effect be distinguished from the correlations to size and to 
cursoriality?>

  Yes, technically. Or at least, in my assumptions, it should be correlated to 
distal insertions on the femoral shaft of the leg retractor muscles, such as 
caudofemoralis and iliofemoralis. These also imply a relatively vertical femur. 
Otherwise, we'd be told that large tyrannosaurids and abelisaurids are 
quadrupeds. Think about that one for a second.

Cheers,

  Jaime A. Headden
  The Bite Stuff (site v2)
  http://qilong.wordpress.com/

"Innocent, unbiased observation is a myth." --- P.B. Medawar (1969)


"Ever since man first left his cave and met a stranger with a
different language and a new way of looking at things, the human race
has had a dream: to kill him, so we don't have to learn his language or
his new way of looking at things." --- Zapp Brannigan (Beast With a Billion 
Backs)


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> Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2012 18:19:45 +0200
> From: david.marjanovic@gmx.at
> To: dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: Re: Ornithischian dinosaur quadrupedality
>