Jurassic Park

From
Date
Reply-To
In re the Jurassic Park movie-error discussion, was anyone else troubled by
the theropod tails?  I really liked the cafeteria scene where the "veloci-
raptors" hunted the children in that they held their tails straight out,
swaying only slightly from side to side as they walked. Correct!, I exclaimed.
THEN, however, at the end of the movie, when the two "velociraptors" and the
tyrannosaur are having it out, ALL of the theropods wagged their tails in a
sinuous fashion like excited cats.  Given the stiffening of the last 1/3 to
2/3rd of the tail in many dromaeosaurids, I did not think that could bend 
their tails s-fashion like modern felids (who are about as flexible as you can
get).
I would like to also protest the tyrannosaur as hero.  Just when the movie
was most exciting, just when I thought that those two obnoxious children
were finally going to get their just desserts (snack time!) from the two
"velociraptors", who shows up and spoils everything?  BARNEY!  If any of
my european colleagues do not yet know who Barney is, count yourselves
extremely fortunate.

George McGhee
Department of Geological Sciences
Wright/Rieman Laboratories
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903 USA