Be noisy as hell
Iβd love to see an informed response as to why we think they ran instead of hopped. Is there a difference in the skeleton or muscles that would tell us?
They were all made in clay-rich sandstone, which preserved the tracks so well that they have impressions of the scales on the skin of these dinosaurs.
Oooo so we know for sure what the scale shapes are? Fascinating! Where is dino science on feathers currently? Did some dinosaurs resemble birds more than lizards? Sorry Iβm late. Be wild if we had such impressions of feathers somewhere
Kangaroos hop because they can store a lot of energy in there Achilles tendon and use that to propel them forward without using much energy. Itβs good for covering long distances over flat terrain while using as little energy as possible , which is good for the Australian outback as they hop between small patches of vegitation separated by miles of desert. Itβs not that good for ambushing or quickly chasing prey in a rainforest like the t rex is probably doing.
Thereβs also the issue of scale, a t rexβs Achilles tendon would have to be stronger then steel cable and as stretchy as rubber to store and re use that much kinetic force from its weight.
Was gonna say, the tendon strength simply doesnβt scale like that, rexes are way too massive.
Could see it for larger raptors though, except theyβre probably better off just running. Predators really need maximum bursts of speed and maneuverability, hopping doesnβt give them that.
The probably pounced on their prey though when they were sure they would catch them.
Probably something to do with strain on the body. Studies show T. rex couldnβt even run. Maybe a fast walk. Additionally, the way the muscles attach to the bones probably donβt support hopping.
The context of this comment is amazing.
Imagine a creature, that died over 65 million years ago (earth was at the other side of the galaxy back then) and yet we can detect how the muscles attached to the bone
Most likely the weight difference would be the biggest issue here.
Same reason why to scale bug wings wouldnβt let you fly, that square cube law can lead to some very unfun conclusions where big beasties are concerned.
Or some absolutely terrifying ones in Shin Godzillaβs case.
I wonder if babies and adolescents hopped around? Thereβs already the theory that T.rexs lived in family groups with adolescents catching lots of small prey and adults catching the occassional large prey and providing protection.
hopping like a kangaroo is unlikely, but it would probably make sense for them to move like modern birds of the same size and whatever is the most similar ecological niche.
first off AFAIK they donβt even have anything near the amount of muscle in the right places to try hopping, but even if they did manage it iβm pretty sure their legs would snap in half when they landed and then as the rest of the body met the ground theyβd crack ribs and stuff as well.
Imagine trying to jump around while wearing a dishwasher on your back, even if youβre monstrously strong in every part of your body itβs gonna fucking suuuuuuuuck
Hip anatomy? Structured more like a bird hip rather than a reptile or kangaroo
I was watching a Carrion Crow hop around just yesterday. Fast movement was a hop. Slow movement was a walk.
Iβve seen a lot of little birds hop around. Not only are birds dinosaurs, but the particular birds Iβve seen hopping are very similar in shape to a T Rex.
My chickens run around very similar to the run we see of T-Rex/raptors in movies. They lean forward and low and run surprisingly fast for an animal with wings that they just tuck.
And what if they skipped daintily while holding giant lollipops?
