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Could T-rex’s “useless forearms” be competing with head and neck musculature?
Sightreader posted a topic in General Fossil Discussion
OK, some naive, pure speculation about those “useless forearms” on large theropods (T-rex, abelisaurs, etc…) Could it be that, in theropods, arms muscles actually compete with head and neck muscles for attachment space on the shoulder girdle? I can’t answer this because I have no idea how the muscles are laid out for theropods. Is there even such a thing as neck muscles that attach to the shoulder girdle, or are these completely unrelated muscle systems? Would reducing arm musculature provide any sort of advantage to the head and neck of theropods? My thought is that, having the combination of having powerful jaws capable of securing a grip on massive victims, then having the necessary neck and head strength needed to either wrench around or yank big chunks off the dangerously powerful prey of the time might be such a key advantage that it would be worth giving up your arms for. This would not mean, then, that their forearms are necessarily “useless”, which might explain why some of these tiny arms remain as well-muscled as they can be (without sacrificing head or neck power). In addition, I heard somewhere that weight and volume grow by the CUBE of size while muscle strength only grows by the SQUARE of size (that is, by the area of a muscle cross-section). I don’t know if it’s really that simple, but it would mean that, as these theropod heads and necks get bigger and bigger, they would need proportionally a LOT more neck musculature to catch up with the faster growth in head weight and inertia. Of course, this would not explain why those tiny, wacky alvarezsaurids have small forearms… that would have to be a totally different selection pressure. Does this make any sense at all or did I just make a complete fool of myself? Be gentle… I’m obviously new at this, lol!- 18 replies
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- abelisaur
- alvarezsaurid
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Hello, I have a theropod dinosaur tooth and the seller's label is Allosaurus. I would like to hear the opinions of the members. The location is the Morrison Formation ,Bone Cabin Quarry, Wyoming CH:2.1cm CBL:1.4cm CBW:0.6cm Mesial Density: 14.5/ 5 mm Distal Density: 17.5/ 5 mm Mesial serrations occupy 80% of the crown height (Perhaps it's wear?) Its base shape doesn't look like a J-shaped one Thank you.
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Unknown North African theropod dinosaur maxilla, carcharodontosaurid or abelisaurid?
liuhaowang45 posted a topic in Fossil ID
This is very perplexing, and the provider is also unsure of what it is. Initially, I thought it belonged to a Carcharodontosaurid, but upon closer examination, I don't think so. Considering other theropods from North Africa, perhaps it is more akin to Abelisaurid or Afrovenator??- 6 replies
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- kemkem
- north africa
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Hi, These two bones come from Ait Hani, Morocco and I was hoping someone could help me with the identification of them. Thanks!
- 2 replies
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- ait hani
- limb bones
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Any identificationfor this Uzbekistan tooth would be helpful - UPDATED NEW PHOTOS
AJ the Tyrant posted a topic in Fossil ID
I came across this tooth recently, but I (nor the seller) can figure out a decent identification for it. It’s an unknown theropod tooth from the Bissekty Formation in Uzbekistan. This is what the seller said about the specimen, “This tooth is much different from other Tyrannosauroid teeth from Bissekty. Less compressed and more rounded with much finer serrations. I believe it may be an undescribed species of theropod.” Is there any way to figure out at least a vague identification for this tooth? AC004AA5-21F2-40EF-88DF-1B6D7EAAB606.webp ECFA6C29-3CAD-4B84-98FE-B4D51F5FAD12.webp 072D8201-307F-4120-9EA1-AC550A7B303F.webp 1EDDCF06-2DF9-4403-9567-7B4440B05A97.webp 66469C72-BCEF-4EE7-A5EC-1E8D9DB4664F.webp (Sorry for the messed up files/images; my storage is all used up) -
Hello I have a few dinosaur teeth like these and can't identify them. They are dinosaur and they are from Morocco. At first I thought Carchardontosaurus or Abelisaurus but 1. I have teeth if both and they don't look the same. 2. There is a curve and thickness that reminds me of tyrannosaurus teeth. Any help will be appreciated.
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Hello, I've found this at a site in new jersey where some footprints have been found from the Late Triassic/Early Jurassic, I am unsure about if this is a footprint of sorts, any help will be appreciated thank you!
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- early jurassic
- footprint
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