Muscles Flashcards
Q: What types of soft tissues have been found preserved in dinosaur fossils?
A: Preserved soft tissues include muscle fibers in dinosaur coprolites, cartilaginous tracheal rings in a specimen from Italy, and muscle attachment evidence shown by scars and striations on bones.
Q: What evidence suggests that Tyrannosaurus rex had powerful upper arm muscles despite its small arms?
A: The upper arm bone of T. rex shows large scars, indicating strong muscle attachments, which suggests powerful muscles despite the bone’s small size relative to its body.
Q: How does the femur of Tyrannosaurus rex suggest powerful leg movements?
A: The T. rex femur has a large crest near the head, which acted as a lever for muscle attachment, enabling strong leg movements.
Q: How were the jaw muscles of Tyrannosaurus rex adapted for powerful bites?
A: T. rex had short, broad jaw muscles attached to maximize bite power, allowing it to bite through bones, as evidenced by deep tooth marks on a Triceratops’ ilium (hip bone).
Q: What experiment confirmed the bite strength of Tyrannosaurus rex?
A: Stanford University experiments confirmed that T. rex had the strongest bite of any known animal, living or extinct.
Q: How did the jaw structure of Tyrannosaurus rex differ from that of Giganotosaurus?
A: Tyrannosaurus rex had a shorter, more robust skull and jaws, optimized for powerful bites. In contrast, Giganotosaurus had a longer skull and lower jaw, allowing for faster jaw closure but less bite force.
Q: How do paleontologists infer muscle attachment points in dinosaurs?
A: Muscle attachment points in dinosaurs are inferred by comparing them to birds and crocodiles, which are close relatives of dinosaurs.
