Comments on: More Phyto-sketches http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/11/08/more-phyto-sketches/ The institutionalized doodles and discoveries of a dead-animal designer. Thu, 20 Oct 2011 21:55:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Matt Celeskey http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/11/08/more-phyto-sketches/comment-page-1/#comment-12029 Matt Celeskey Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:29:47 +0000 http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/11/08/more-phyto-sketches/#comment-12029 Hi Nick - Great questions - I didn't have any specific inspiration for that sketch (beyond the range of postures seen in today's crocodilians). Padian et al.'s recent (2010) investigation into <em>Apatopus</em> tracks reviews a lot of thinking on the posture/gait of phytosaurs and (I believe) concludes there are trackways from high-walking phytos. It would be interesting to see what anatomical adaptations for high-walking may or may not be present in phytosaurs, and I will definitely be checking into the references you mention. If you're well-steeped in the literature, I may shoot you a few questions once I find out more! Thanks for your insight and comments - I'm always open to improvements! Hi Nick –

Great questions – I didn’t have any specific inspiration for that sketch (beyond the range of postures seen in today’s crocodilians).

Padian et al.’s recent (2010) investigation into Apatopus tracks reviews a lot of thinking on the posture/gait of phytosaurs and (I believe) concludes there are trackways from high-walking phytos.

It would be interesting to see what anatomical adaptations for high-walking may or may not be present in phytosaurs, and I will definitely be checking into the references you mention. If you’re well-steeped in the literature, I may shoot you a few questions once I find out more!

Thanks for your insight and comments – I’m always open to improvements!

]]> By: Nick Gardner http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/11/08/more-phyto-sketches/comment-page-1/#comment-12027 Nick Gardner Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:43:25 +0000 http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/11/08/more-phyto-sketches/#comment-12027 I notice also Parrish (1986) concluded that phytosaur pelvic morphology was "consistent with horizontal limb movement and marked long-axis rotation of the femur and crus, as seen in early diapsids and modern lizards"... This isn't to bring you down though, your work is well done as always, just the composition might not be plausible... it only comes to mind recently anyway since I've been looking into locomotion bracing in reptiles to help a lab mate :) cheers, nick I notice also Parrish (1986) concluded that phytosaur pelvic morphology was “consistent with horizontal limb movement and marked long-axis rotation of the femur and crus, as seen in early diapsids and modern lizards”…

This isn’t to bring you down though, your work is well done as always, just the composition might not be plausible…

it only comes to mind recently anyway since I’ve been looking into locomotion bracing in reptiles to help a lab mate :)

cheers,
nick

]]> By: Nick Gardner http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/11/08/more-phyto-sketches/comment-page-1/#comment-12026 Nick Gardner Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:37:33 +0000 http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/11/08/more-phyto-sketches/#comment-12026 how possible would it have been for phytosaurs to have used the high walk... high walking eusuchians can do so because of their modifications to the vertebral column... do phytosaurs also show these adaptations? Just curious... relevant papers, see Schwarz-Wings' paper on bracing in hyposaurine dyrosaurids and Salisbury and Frey's various papers (2001, 2006, 1988, 1989)... how possible would it have been for phytosaurs to have used the high walk… high walking eusuchians can do so because of their modifications to the vertebral column… do phytosaurs also show these adaptations? Just curious… relevant papers, see Schwarz-Wings’ paper on bracing in hyposaurine dyrosaurids and Salisbury and Frey’s various papers (2001, 2006, 1988, 1989)…

]]> By: Pascal http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/11/08/more-phyto-sketches/comment-page-1/#comment-11018 Pascal Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:47:05 +0000 http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/11/08/more-phyto-sketches/#comment-11018 Nice work. I love drawing skulls too. Nice work. I love drawing skulls too.

]]> By: Matt Celeskey http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/11/08/more-phyto-sketches/comment-page-1/#comment-11016 Matt Celeskey Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:33:14 +0000 http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/11/08/more-phyto-sketches/#comment-11016 Hi Zach - Yeah, the skull is a little distorted and the sketch is even more distorted...definitely more of a rough study than an accurate representation of the cranial osteology. Hi Zach -

Yeah, the skull is a little distorted and the sketch is even more distorted…definitely more of a rough study than an accurate representation of the cranial osteology.

]]> By: Zach Miller http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/11/08/more-phyto-sketches/comment-page-1/#comment-11015 Zach Miller Thu, 08 Nov 2007 23:46:03 +0000 http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/11/08/more-phyto-sketches/#comment-11015 I love that "high-walk" picture! The point of view on the skull confuses me, though. The snout looks like a profile view, while the skull itself looks like a 3/4ths view, looking down. I love that “high-walk” picture! The point of view on the skull confuses me, though. The snout looks like a profile view, while the skull itself looks like a 3/4ths view, looking down.

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