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Strange "tail-basket" helped pachys to fight?

Adam Khor · 2019-08-31 06:29:30

It seems that pachycephalosaurs have very strange bony structures on their tails (previously misidentified as gastralia), that are not found in any other tetrapod (although they are similar to structures seen in some fish!). The function of this "tail-basket" remains unknown, but the paper suggests that it may have helped…

31-08-2019 6:29am

#1

Adam Khor

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It seems that pachycephalosaurs have very strange bony structures on their tails (previously misidentified as gastralia), that are not found in any other tetrapod (although they are similar to structures seen in some fish!). The function of this "tail-basket" remains unknown, but the paper suggests that it may have helped the pachycephalosaur to attain a tripodal stance (!) probably during fighting (!!).
I personally wonder now if these creatures would be able to stand in their tails alone, like kangaroos, and maybe use their feet as well as their head to fight? Or even, mostly the feet? Has anyone ever cared to study the feet of pachycephalosaurs?
Or there may be another explanation for the tail-basket... what do you think?
Very interesting stuff.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0030212

Oh, and just because it's cool and looks like a pachycephalosaur, here's a rhinoceros iguana:

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