The fast and the frugal: Divergent locomotory strategies drive limb lengthening in theropod dinosaurs.

ABSTRACT: Limb length, cursoriality and speed have long been areas of significant interest in theropod paleobiology, since locomotory capacity, especially running ability, is critical in the pursuit of prey and to avoid becoming prey. The impact of allometry on running ability, and the limiting effect of large body size, are aspects that are traditionally overlooked. Since several different non-avian theropod lineages have each independently evolved body sizes greater than any known terrestrial carnivorous mammal, ~1000kg or more, the effect that such large mass has on movement ability and energetics is an area with significant implications for Mesozoic paleoecology. Here, using expansive datasets that incorporate several different metrics to estimate body size, limb length and running speed, we cal

SUBMITTER: Dececchi TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7220109 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature