Towering Necks Reshaped Sauropod Gait
Liverpool researchers used 3D models to trace sauropod evolution from tail-heavy, two-legged ancestors to long-necked, front-loaded quadrupeds. The necks grew rapidly and shifted body mass forward, enabling giants like Diplodocus and titanosaurs. Titanosaurs amplified this front-heavy trend, potentially aiding their rise and survival until the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, with multiple body-mass scenarios tested to account for soft-tissue uncertainties.