RE: Supersonic sauropod tails at SVP

[<quailspg@frii.com>]

Mary Kirkaldy wrote:
 
> Nathan presented the paper (and demonstrated it with a bullwhip) back
> in 1998.   (I was at the DinoFest 1998 in Phila. PA where he
> demonstrated it).
> 
> As the article describes, this is an attempt to build a physical model
> (albeit at 25% of full size) of the tail to show that the actual
> motion of the tail could create the supersonic crack - and not damage
> the sauropod tail (at least not much).
> 
> Not exactly old news - instead a revamped effort to display the
> possibilities.

Back when this was first being discussed, I could only picture the
vertebrae exploding off the end of the tail in the final micro-second.
Isn't the addition of a "popper" -- a long section of dead skin or other
flexible tissue -- new to the hypothesis?

Here's a link to a slo-mo video of a bullwhip cracking, to help you
visualize.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lslnR5ld8BY


-- Donna Braginetz