Junk in the trunk: why sauropod dinosaurs did not possess trunks
Before I start: TIANYULONG TIANYULONG TIANYULONG TIANYULONG TIANYULONG. Ok, moving on...
Source: scienceblogs.com
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Sauropod dinosaurs held their necks in high, raised postures
Today sees the publication of a new paper by Michael P. Taylor, Mathew Wedel and myself in which we make a bold and controversial claim: based on data from living animals, we contend that the necks of sauropod dinosaurs - all sauropod dinosaurs - were most likely held habitually in erect poses, and not in horizontal or sub-horizontal poses (Taylor et al. 2009). This research should of course be significant if you're interested in knowing what sauropods looked like when they were alive.
Source: scienceblogs.com
Necks for sex? No thank you, we're sauropod dinosaurs
If asked "Why do giraffes have such long necks?", the majority of people - professional biologists among them - will answer that it's something to do with increasing vertical reach and hence feeding range. But while the 'increased vertical reach' or 'increased feeding envelope' hypothesis has always been the most popular explanation invoked to explain the giraffe's neck, it isn't the only one.
Source: scienceblogs.com