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Ashere In reply to Saurophagus [2013-10-06 19:43:21 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! I'm glad you like it. 

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Ashere In reply to hyphenatedsuperhero [2010-02-03 01:24:57 +0000 UTC]

I'd hoped it would be. Thanks.

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Ashere In reply to Kronosaurus82 [2008-12-06 22:34:23 +0000 UTC]

Details!
Honestly, I don't know one way or another. Maybe I'll ask someone. I don't really see why they couldn't...

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Kronosaurus82 In reply to Ashere [2008-12-07 10:38:09 +0000 UTC]

I think they couldn't because birds can't.
Birds are able to pick up themselves when they are "downup", but with a great effort.
Non-avian Theropods actually have forelimbs that may give them somewhat help in these accidents, but in my opinion non-avian Theropods can't roll their bodies like mammals because of their anatomy – tall neural spines, fairly rigid backbones, a large series of ribs, etc.
Mammals possess very flexible axial skeletons, no ribs in their lumbar region, no gastralia or things like that, so they are pretty good in... contorsionism!
Moreover, famous fossils like the "sleeping" Mei Long, nesting Citipati or the sitting ceratosaurian footprints, gave us a idea of non-avian Theropods that behave just like todays big birds.

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Ashere In reply to Kronosaurus82 [2008-12-07 14:00:02 +0000 UTC]

Damn it. There goes a perfectly good picture. But that makes a lot of sense. Oh well. Thanks!

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Scarlatti-in-Blue In reply to Ashere [2017-02-24 21:50:46 +0000 UTC]

This is old, but I wanted to mention that it's not hard for birds to "roll over", they don't use their backs, they use their legs and wings to push themselves around.  I used to have a pet rooster who would happily flop over on his side to nap when he was dustbathing in his sandbox (he would also easily turn to scratch his head with his toes like you have going in the picture too). He would dig out a hollow to get to cooler sand below, flop over onto his side (usually his right), maybe scratch down a bit of the side where his feet were so they could sit out straight and just lay there and take a nap. 

I had another hen who would also first dig a hollow, kick sand onto her back, stand, shake it out, then lay belly down with her legs sticking out behind her to bask (and I guess enjoy it for longer because they always made sure to dig down to the damper cooler sand before flopping down to doze).

I think chickens (along with pheasants and ratites) are a better analogue for looking up non avian theropod behavior, with their much stronger back ends and generally lighter front ends. Your average flying bird won't lie on it's side, except in very limited amounts, like when bathing (pet doves, quail, & cockatiels) or anting (observed in wild changos).  But they're small and need to be able to fly away at a moment's notice, lying on your side would preclude that.  A pet chicken, or 500kg+ theropod, I think would feel less worried about napping in a slightly more vulnerable position.

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Kronosaurus82 In reply to Ashere [2008-12-07 16:23:23 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome.

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Ashere In reply to RestrainedRaptor [2008-09-22 11:33:50 +0000 UTC]

His belly is so full he doesn't really want to move. He's regretting it now, though.

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RestrainedRaptor In reply to Ashere [2008-09-22 16:54:26 +0000 UTC]

If he had hatchlings, they could feast upon the nutritious flies!

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Ashere In reply to EWilloughby [2008-09-22 11:34:02 +0000 UTC]

Thanks. I enjoy creating them.

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Ashere In reply to Alexanderlovegrove [2008-09-21 23:15:19 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much. It's not something we often see in paleo art.

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