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Dinosaurs likely had a different bone structure than mammals and birds, which was only able to support enormous weights, according to a new study.
A team of paleontologists, mechanical and biomedical engineers examined the bones of the upper and lower legs of hadrosaurs and duck-billed sauropods, long-necked, large-bodied plant-eaters, whose fossils have been found on all continents. .
“The structure of the trabecular or cancellous bone that forms inside (the) the bones we studied are unique in dinosaurs, ”said Anthony Fiorillo, a paleontologist at Southern Methodist University and one of the authors of the study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One.
Trabecular bone surrounds the tiny spaces or holes in the inner part of the bone that you can see in a ham bone or in the bone of a steak, Fiorillo explained in a press release.
The team analyzed CT scans of dinosaur bones and compared them with the fossilized bones of extinct mammals like Siberian tigers and mammoths and animals living today like sheep and elephants.
“Unlike mammals and birds, the thickness of trabecular bone does not increase as the body size of dinosaurs increases,” he said.
“Instead, it increases the density of the spongy bone appearance. Without this adaptation to gain weight, the skeletal structure needed to support duck-billed and herbivorous hadrosaurs would be so heavy that dinosaurs would have had a lot. difficult to move. “
According to the study, increasing cancellous bone connectivity is a more effective bone strengthening mechanism for animals of this extraordinary size.
“This would have made it possible to obtain sufficient mechanical competence with less bone material,” the study said.
The authors suggested that the findings could have implications for the design of rigid and lightweight structures that could be used in aerospace, construction, or vehicles.
“Understanding the mechanics of dinosaur trabecular architecture can help us better understand the design of other light and dense structures,” said Trevor Aguirre, senior author of the article and recent PhD student in mechanical engineering at Colorado State University. .
The study, Fiorillo said, was the product of a unique collaboration between scientists from different fields.
“It’s one of those cool things that can happen when you’re willing to cross disciplinary boundaries to meet your curiosities,” he said.
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