DUCKCROCZILLA 'alien' dinosaur could emerge from THE SEA Paleontologists have published the first pictures of a gigantic half-crocodile, half-duck dinosaur that evolved to swim – and was bigger than the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex. Spinosaurus aegyptiacus Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water ... "Working on this animal was like studying an alien from outer …
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I, sub-leader Zorton of the Hydra Galaxy, deny that aliens from outer space exist. You must believe this to be true, no matter how well that would explain certain behaviors among your "celebrity" caste. Any further questions on this subject will be dealt with through attitude remodulation.
Communication terminated!
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As for the spines on its back that give the dinosaur its name, the team thinks they were more for show than anything else. The lack of blood vessels indicates that it wasn't used to regulate body temperature or store fat.
Perhaps it could have made a nice sail with the tail or limbs acting as rudders for a more leisurely drifting face down hunt allowing it to both reserve its energy and quietly get close for a swift strike once it came upon prey. I figure it had to use some sort of stealth as I don't see a lot of fish hanging around long with one of these things paddling up from a distance.
Oh, what's with all the dino stuff lately? Is September bone boffins' month to flood the press with announcements or is it just a co-inky dink?
Didn't Dimetrodon in the Triassic have a large sail on its back? As it would appear this is a case of sail backs evolving in two separate species at two greatly disparate times, perhaps there is some common evolutionary function that is more than just show?
"As for the spines on its back that give the dinosaur its name, the team thinks they were more for show than anything else. The lack of blood vessels indicates that it wasn't used to regulate body temperature or store fat."
Would make a handy keel if it were doing the backstroke
Actually that's a good observation. Given the keel is essentially the backbone of a ship it wouldn't be surprising to find that the spines were functionally a stiffening member to keep the spine rigid vertically while allowing easy lateral motion where a boat is rigid in both directions.
From the skeleton there doesn't appear to be much along the lines of a sternum so I imagine it would be quite weak and flexible without the spines/sail. The fact that the spines start at the shoulders and largely disappear just beyond the pelvis is perhaps an indication that this is one of evolutions tries at vertically stiffening a rather massive body while leaving the head and tail with considerable motion in either plane. I would think ligaments at the ends of the spines would be in tension when in the water to prevent bowing down like an 'n' and cartilage between the spines under compression for use on land. Of course this assumes the center of buoyancy/mass was centrally located but the rather limited leverage on the neck bones indicates the head and neck weren't terribly massive in comparison and the apparent leverage afforded the musculature of the tail is perhaps more equally divided horizontally and vertically to both bear the weight and laterally undulate for added propulsion. It may have disappeared because a more duck like sternum (keel bone) provided stiffness and a convenient attachment for rather substantial flight muscles proved more fit for purpose.
You need to get your facts straight ... you inaccurately report that this new discovery is called a "CROCZILLA", or "Spinosaurus aegyptiacus". Obviously, the correct name is either "crocoduck" or "ducodile". If you don't get it right, how can we expect the SciFi folks to crank out a movie about it?
We're counting on you! Get it right!
If this creature was indeed aquatic, the spines likely were far less ornamental than functional. The spinal ridge would have acted like a reversed keel and would have allowed the animal to maintain leverage when larger prey attempted to escape its grasp (jaws) in the water. When alligators or crocodiles attach prey or are attacked themselves, they often roll their bodies fiercely in an attempt to either escape another predator, or quickly subdue their prey. A large flat paddle-like structure would have provided impressive leverage against such twisting and jerking escape methods.
- Graham M.
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