Posts by Ivan22@sauropods.win
(DIR) Post #APSJZa6KfK0Pa1bIXI by Ivan22@sauropods.win
2022-11-10T07:24:22Z
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Have just migrated my account here to sauropods.win. Here are a couple of #hadrosaur drawings to get the new page started. #dinosaurs #palaeoart
(DIR) Post #APSar2VjzRsDpqOaw4 by Ivan22@sauropods.win
2022-11-10T08:18:20Z
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A #sauropod for sauropods.win. The giant Late #Jurassic diplodocid Supersaurus - one of the most spectacular sauropods - rears in a tripodal position to feed from the high branches of a conifer tree. The small ornithischian Nanosaurus looks on in the foreground. #dinosaurs #palaeoart
(DIR) Post #APSmzmV25XnwEV01Fg by Ivan22@sauropods.win
2022-11-10T13:19:52Z
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@mike That's a fair point, it could have started lower. I suppose I could argue that animals don't reliably do the lowest effort thing. Cats will hunt given the chance even if they have access to unlimited food at home.
(DIR) Post #APSmznQoci1d7i2AJk by Ivan22@sauropods.win
2022-11-10T13:47:19Z
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@llewelly @mike It's not quite as simple as that though. Many predators will sometimes kill far in excess of their food needs, and this is seen as instinctive behaviour. The same applies to locomotion; eagles spend far more time on the wing than necessary to meet their food and travel needs. I think we need to make allowance for the fact that a certain amount of the energy animals expend is explained by the desire for play, or at least stimulation.
(DIR) Post #APSmzoVobbcQTVNfkW by Ivan22@sauropods.win
2022-11-10T14:05:01Z
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@mike @llewelly Yeah I think that's fair. Though I do think diplodocids are much better suited to rearing than elephants, what with a centre of mass just in front of the hips and the opportunity to use the tail as a third support.
(DIR) Post #APSnW21ltIlNeugtJQ by Ivan22@sauropods.win
2022-11-10T14:31:57Z
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@john @mike @llewelly Yeah, that's what I was thinking. But as Mike says they are huge animals compared to an elephant. I suppose we can never really know how different things would or wouldn't be for a 30 tonne land animal compared to the little munchkins we have now.
(DIR) Post #APSpGfjah6dM59zUAK by Ivan22@sauropods.win
2022-11-10T14:51:37Z
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@john @mike @llewelly Yeah I think along the same lines with diplodocids. Especially with the sled runner shaped chevrons under the relevant section of the tail, which fits so perfectly with the idea of frequently adopting a tripodal stance. Is there any current thinking about the proposed problem of blood pressure when the neck is vertical? With the currently preferred elevated neck posture, the vertical displacement between head and heart is almost as great on four legs as when rearing.
(DIR) Post #APStFaP1QpWL4b6j1k by Ivan22@sauropods.win
2022-11-10T15:19:28Z
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@mike @john I love the multiple hearts idea but that is a WILD speculation - seems about as far from parsimonious as possible. Seems like an insanely complex solution to a simple (albeit large) problem
(DIR) Post #APZSwOHd1rqJHYYT7g by Ivan22@sauropods.win
2022-11-11T08:04:08Z
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From left to right are three giant #sauropods from different lineages: the mamenchisaurid Xinjiangtitan shanshanensis, the brachiosaurid Giraffatitan brancai and the diplodocid Supersaurus vivianae.Xinjiangtitan is ~ 28.5 m long, height ~ 17 m, and weight maybe ~ 30 - 35 tonnes.The Giraffatitan is based on the big specimen XVII. Length ~ 24 m, height ~ 16 m, weight maybe ~ 40 - 45 tonnes.Supersaurus is ~ 33 m long, the tripodal height ~ 19 m, weight maybe ~ 35 - 40 tonnes. #palaeoart
(DIR) Post #APZSwlu3DBF8XNhyhk by Ivan22@sauropods.win
2022-11-11T08:16:49Z
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The idea of this drawing partly to compare the proportions of three of my favourite sauropods in a simple lateral view. The Xinjiangtitan holotype has the longest complete neck known for any #sauropod, ~13.5 m, and this is what makes it exceptionally tall despite having short forelimbs and a relatively low shoulder height.Giraffatitan has a much more moderate neck length, ~ 10.5 m, but very long forelimbs and high shoulders contribute to its height.
(DIR) Post #APZSxBdzVVqUN6OWHY by Ivan22@sauropods.win
2022-11-11T08:17:30Z
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Supersaurus, a diplodocid with adaptations suitable for rearing, can outreach either of the others in a tripodal position. #dinosaurs #sauropod
(DIR) Post #APscJgu8WAHQD3ou0W by Ivan22@sauropods.win
2022-11-23T01:28:45Z
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@john For me it is still: why were dinosaurs so prone to evolving gigantic size? I know there were plenty of small species, but 'average' dinosaurs are huge. A 1 - 2 tonne land mammal is exceptionally big, but nobody would think of a dinosaur that size as being big. Why was multi-tonne size so normal for dinosaurs?
(DIR) Post #AQqNmUxu95Z1kbSMoS by Ivan22@sauropods.win
2022-12-21T21:26:40Z
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@markwitton really happy for you Mark and sure it will work out!
(DIR) Post #AjzBgZP8fO8v3WCC9Y by Ivan22@sauropods.win
2024-07-16T10:55:01Z
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@john GSP? Holy shit I will have to try and get there for this one.