[Article déjà publié le 3 octobre 2024]
To learn more about the missing monsters that are dinosaurs, there are several ways. We can start by finding the fossils of these animals, buried all over the earth. Then we can compare some of their characteristics with current species that are part of their descendants. And that's exactly what a study published on September 25 in the review Science Advances Where we learn that bipedal dinosaurs must surely run like the emus.
The emus use the “floor race”
Originally from Australia, the emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) are bipedal birds that do not fly, like ostriches (Struthio) or kiwis (APTERYX).
Because of their anatomy, the emus see their center of gravity be located in front of their hips. This therefore obliges them, to keep the balance, to stay in a slightly squatting position where their legs are a bit folded and not straight. In order to save energy and keep their balance in the race, these animals must constantly keep a leg on the ground when they run.
In English we will talk about “Grounded Running“That we can translate into“ race on the ground ”. It differs from the“ air race ”which is used in particular by humans where to quickly move from one place to another, we raise the foot.
It is this particular racing style that gives the emus a strange look when they go fast. This is confirmed by the main author of the Pasha Van Bijlert study, a doctoral student in evolutionary biomechanics at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands who also gives the key to know when a short time or not.
“” “Most people probably don't even realize that they saw a bird using the floor race. Sometimes when you see a bird walking in a bizarre way, it's not that it works, it is because it runs. You can see him to the fact that he bounces.”Explains the young researcher at Scientific American.
An energy -efficient racing style
Even if these birds have a somewhat “silly” look when they run, first, they do not know and surely should not care. Second, it is mainly because the “race on the ground” is effective for them.
Indeed, the race, whatever the species concerned, is an important factor of fatigue. You just have to see the brave who finish a marathon or even those who will run on Sunday morning to realize it.
In nature, the race is an effective means of displacement to quickly get from one place to another, but also to escape potential predators or to hunt prey. As much as it does not spend too much energy.
To arrive at this conclusion, Pasha Van Bijlert and his team therefore developed a simulator taking up the physical characteristics of a riot and were therefore able to calculate the energy spent in different racing styles. All while varying the anatomy of the bird. Something that is obviously not possible in nature or in the laboratory for ethical reasons in particular.
What about dinosaurs in all of this?
This will not have escaped you, but thanks to the fossils of many species of dinosaurs discovered beyond the world, we were able to find anatomical similarities between these disappeared monsters and current animals, especially at the level of the basin.
More specifically, science has highlighted that the current birds shared certain characteristics of the dinosaurs which disappeared from the surface of the earth 66 million years ago.
Thus, since birds are descendants of dinosaurs, there is a good chance that these missing monsters also used a similar racing style, energy efficient. However, this is only a hypothesis which only requires being confirmed or invalidated.
To do this, Pasha Van Bijlert will tackle several simulators to see whether or not the predators that were Velociraptor Or Tyrannosaurus-rex, When they chased a prey, therefore used the “floor race” and therefore had the same wacky look as the emeus of today.
Source : Scientific American
With an unwavering passion for local news, Christopher leads our editorial team with integrity and dedication. With over 20 years’ experience, he is the backbone of Wouldsayso, ensuring that we stay true to our mission to inform.
