buffy said:
I’m re-reading “Furry Logic”
https://www.furrylogicbook.com/
It’s a very interesting book and obviously I missed/forgot some of it since I last read it a couple of years ago. Anyway, the Komodo dragon stuff got interesting, so I sought out the paper where some people worked out how strong the skull is and how the dragon bites. It’s got a poor bite, but uses a twist and tear system, and in this way the skull does not need to be heavy. Quite a different mechanism from crocodiles. The researchers used some engineering thingies to work it out.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2423397/
Some of you lot might also find it interesting.
Not to be confused with fuzzy logic.
> The Komodo dragon displays a unique hold and pull-feeding technique. Its delicate ‘space-frame’ skull morphology differs greatly from that apparent in most living large prey specialists and is suggestive of a high degree of optimization, wherein use of materials is minimized. Here, using high-resolution finite element modelling based on dissection and in vivo bite and pull data, we present results detailing the mechanical performance of the giant lizard’s skull. It applies minimal input from the jaw muscles when butchering prey. Instead it uses series of actions controlled by postcranial muscles. This remarkable reduction in stress in response to additional force is facilitated by both internal and external bone anatomy. Functional correlations obtained from these analyses also provide a solid basis for the interpretation of feeding ecology in extinct species, including dinosaurs and sabre-tooth cats, with which V. komodoensis shares various cranial and dental characteristics.
Yes. Very interesting. Many dinosaurs have very lightweight skulls. Not so sure about sabre toothed cats, but have never managed to understand how they open their mouths wide enough to bite.