Why did T. rex have short arms? An integrative hypothesis | Kevin Padian

Why did T. rex have short arms?  An integrative hypothesis

Since it was first described in 1906, many functional and non-functional hypotheses have been proposed to explain why the arms of T. rex were so short. In sum, the functional hypotheses were impossible because the arms could not touch each other, or the mouth, or anything anterior to the animal, and in any case the great reach of the neck, head and jaws would have outstripped any possible motion of the arms, which were mostly restricted to retraction. In any case, every proposed functional hypothesis would have worked better if the arms were larger and not reduced. The non-functional hypotheses are either untestable or explain little.

Perhaps we have been looking at the problem from the wrong direction. Rather than asking about the function of the reduced arms, we should ask what benefit the reduction of the arms may have conveyed to the animal as a whole. We explore this using what is understood of the behavior, ecology, and functional morphology of tyrannosaurs.

• Pour obtenir le lien de connexion, contacter Jérémie Bardin