poponthebeezer
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What seem to be fossil footprints left only by the front legs/feet of giant sauropods has led to a hypothesis that the dinosaurs were walking on their front two legs only. One explanation is that they were "punting" in shallow water, with their front legs on the sediment and rear legs floating. I think the proper name is punting hypothesis.
The footprints, these in Texas (Sauropod footprints at the Coffee Hollow A-Male trackways. Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country).
More on this at https://www.sciencealert.com/weird-tracks-in-texas-indicate-giant-sauropods-walking-on-their-front-feet-only
It is also possible that these were circus sauropods.
Gcleff
I think we all know it's the latter.
ginjuri
I'm guessing whoever submitted this hypothesis is treated like a real like Alan Grant minus the bragging rights from JP survival adventures.
bryceecyrb
A perfect post for imgur +1
downrightmike
Those poor circus elephants.
msmaya3333
Well, that's how I swim, so...
narcoleptiKnickers
6m is shallow water?
twantwaffle
Maybe they walk like cats
elucca
Ther's a study indicating that beyond this, big sauropods might not have been able to swim... because they'd float too well. Imagine it..
elucca
..popping up like a cork, and falling on its side. Unstable in the water. Though I haven't seen anyone ask if they could swim on their side!
GeraltsUnpaidIntern
Man, we really treated those animals terribly. Still do, I guess. At least more people are cognizant of it now.
CarlottaVonSprockett
I like the shark nomming on the little guy’s tail, and the implication that the little guy is unperturbed.
minuteye
Alternate hypothesis: sauropods walked using direct registering, like cats. But only in water, because they were trolls like that.
ConfettiPanda
They’ll be back. And in greater numbers.
RenegadeBlob
This is very similar to the theory that giraffes can't swim. Expect the dinos have a heavier tail to help keep their heads above water.
HawkMavrickson
It’s easy to float when a shark holds up your tail
Sh4dowWalker96
Shit, I buy it.
Petemccabe
But if it was underwater, there wouldn’t be a footprint. Right?
henrytheninth
Punting while singing “Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.”
TheRealPhoenix
FrenchPudding
That picture of the elephant made me tear up, so sad, so cruel...
ianb93
People are bastards
cryborg
So are dinosaurs' lungs in their butts?
Callistan
No, but their GI tracts were. Assuming herbivorous dinosaurs required symbiotic bacteria to digest cellulose (the way modern animals do) 1/2
Callistan
Their intestines would have contained a lot of gas from bacterial fermentation of plant matter. 2/2
TexMexHex
Those guys totally deserved what Topsy gave em. Fuck you Edison.
Jsupes
They’ll say Thomas Edison, he’s the man to get us in-to this century, and that man is me. They’ll say “aww Topsy” at my autopsy
TexMexHex
Yeah, he fucked Telsa. Not literally... but fuck Edison.
Jsupes
TexMexHex
Always upvote Bob's Burgers.
Avelaide
I mean corgi butts float so...
ZombiesAndZoos
So do elephant butts. I have a video to prove it.
hirosjimma
Please, spare us the summer holiday vids of your mum. Nobody wants to see that.
ZombiesAndZoos
Who said it was *my* mom in the videos?
salunatics
Hexrowe
Theropod, technically, but I suppose it's still relevant enough. And just plain neat, too.
malachitedragon
Someone, somewhere, got paid to suction plungers onto chicken butts to study dinosaur tail walks.
WoopDeFrickenDoo
and yet still as stupid as a chicken
EverythingThatFallsToTheGroundIsMine
Yes. However much you’ve wanted it to be true shoving a broomstick up your ass will not increase your IQ. But you’re welcome to keep trying.
SilverHornet
When you get your plumber from Wish.com
LoopStricken
Did someone put a plunger on a chicken's arse?
ButteredNoodleDriver
Is that, like, not a normal thing to do? Asking for a friend
LoopStricken
I shan't judge.
Colopty
And documented it, thus making it science, yes.
LoopStricken
Nice.
pareidoliaperson
dasAchteck
ok, but what is the smaller dinosaur doing with its head?
jaysjunkymail11
Trying to get a good look at a T-bone. I'd rather take my butcher's word for it.
Absent
Using the other dinosaur as it's snorkel, obviously?
brickius
Drowning
FrogBotherer
Having a sniff
SithShodan
Drowning, apparently
TygrF
He's a dinocologist
AntiProtonBoy
Going for the centipede
Hellfirefighter
HiVizDiver
I legit thought for a second they were going to tell us that smaller dinos put their heads up the asses of larger ones while crossing rivers
kirmes
second-hand-breathing ...
edasm
Gastroentosaurus
StabbyMcMurder
It's best
dasAchteck
best response.
ewwcovid
Don’t want to be that guy but its*
StabbyMcMurder
I can't help it if my phone autocorrects it's to its. Or vice versa.
dasAchteck
Its o. K.
Sanzanna
getting air, centipede style
intergalacticbuttjazz
taste in air is subjective and varies from creature to creature
Keyloq
Human centipede, only one mouth to feed
BobbyVegana
I saw those movies, I hate them so much
LespritDeLescalier22
After hearing what they’re about, I decided to be kind to myself by not watching them.
BobbyVegana
Good choice, they are untasteful and very bad acted, written and edited. All around shit only for shock value.
BeaveIt2Leaver
*step dinosaur
ourari
making a meal of it
IneedtochangemyusernameandIguessthiswillhavetodo
Ass to mouth
TheRicM
Punting
thematman
DreamWeavr
Oh glorious zebra butt, tell me your secrets
Jsupes
I found all of it really interesting, but I feel really bad for the elephant now
honeytwat
That elephant might even be alive today.
MehtefaS
Highly unlikely considering the abuse they went through :(
butterflybuttler221
Even so, they're survivors. I worked at a zoo that had 2 holdover elephants from the 50s one was a circus elephant that had the tendons in 1
butterflybuttler221
Her trunk cut to make her more 'managable'. She & the other animals were confiscated after reports of abuse, but that winter the circus 2
butterflybuttler221
Stole all the animals back, but the elephant trailer broke down so they abandoned it in a snowstorm. After 3 days & despite the cut tendons3