Differing trabecular bone architecture in dinosaurs and mammals contribute to stiffness and limits on bone strain.

ABSTRACT: The largest dinosaurs were enormous animals whose body mass placed massive gravitational loads on their skeleton. Previous studies investigated dinosaurian bone strength and biomechanics, but the relationships between dinosaurian trabecular bone architecture and mechanical behavior has not been studied. In this study, trabecular bone samples from the distal femur and proximal tibia of dinosaurs ranging in body mass from 23-8,000 kg were investigated. The trabecular architecture was quantified from micro-computed tomography scans and allometric scaling relationships were used to determine how the trabecular bone architectural indices changed with body mass. Trabecular bone mechanical behavior was investigated by finite element modeling. It was found that dinosaurian trabecular bone volume f

SUBMITTER: Aguirre TG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7437811 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature