Simone Conti and colleagues simulated diplodocid tail motions utilizing a model based on 5 fossilized diplodocid specimens. The model tail is over 12 meters (39 feet) long, weighs 1,446 kgs (3,188 pounds), and consists of 82 cylinders– representing vertebrae– attached to an unmovable hip bone base. When the tail base relocations in an arc, it creates a whip-like movement with a maximum speed of 33 meters per second (108 feet per second)– more than ten times slower than the speed of sound in standard air and too sluggish to create a supersonic boom.
Diplodocus was a genus of diplodocid sauropod dinosaurs, whose fossils were very first discovered in 1877 by S. W. Williston.
Diplodocids– large herbivorous dinosaurs with long necks and tails– may have been able to move their tails like bullwhips at speeds of up to 33 meters per 2nd (108 feet per second) or more than 100 kilometers per hour (70 miles per hour). This is according to a modeling study published today (December 8) in the journal Scientific Reports.
However, these findings oppose those of a previous research study, which proposed that a hypothetical structure connected to completion of a diplodocid tail– comparable to a tuft at the end of a bullwhip– might move faster than the speed of sound (340 meters per second or 1100 feet per second) and develop a little supersonic boom.
Diplodocids, or members of the family Diplodocidae, are a group of sauropod dinosaurs. The household consists of some of the longest animals ever to walk the Earth, consisting of Diplodocus and Supersaurus, a few of which may have reached lengths of up to 42 meters (138 feet).
Simone Conti and coworkers simulated diplodocid tail movements utilizing a design based on five fossilized diplodocid specimens. The design tail is over 12 meters (39 feet) long, weighs 1,446 kilograms (3,188 pounds), and consists of 82 cylinders– representing vertebrae– attached to an unmovable hip bone base. When the tail base relocations in an arc, it creates a whip-like motion with a maximum speed of 33 meters per 2nd (108 feet per second)– more than ten times slower than the speed of noise in basic air and too sluggish to develop a supersonic boom.
The authors evaluated whether their model tail would be able to withstand the stress of moving quick enough to produce a supersonic boom. They found that the thin whip-like tail might stagnate at a maximum speed of 340 meters per second (1100 feet per second) without breaking.
The authors then assessed whether including three various one-meter-long hypothetical structures– mimicking the end of a bullwhip– to the end of the design tail might permit it to take a trip at the speed of noise without bursting. The very first structure included three segments made of skin and keratin, the second included braided keratin filaments, and the third had a flail-like structure made up of soft tissues.
None of the structures was able to withstand the tension of moving at 340 meters per 2nd (1100 feet per second) without the tail breaking.
Together, the findings suggest that diplodocid tails might not have actually had the ability to move quickly enough to produce a little supersonic boom. The authors hypothesize that diplodocids may have still been able to move their tails quickly enough to use them as protective weapons or for combat with other diplodocids.
Reference: “Multibody analysis and soft tissue strength refute supersonic dinosaur tail” 8 December 2022, Scientific Reports.DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-022-21633-2.