Yes, the globally renowned internet phenomenon that is Ask A Biologist had its official first birthday on Friday 14th. All the AAB contributors got together and had a massive champagne lunch to celebrate...
... no, of course they bloody didn't, but it would be good wouldn't it. I need not say that AAB might be one of the most useful resources on the web: sigh, if only it were better known. So here I am doing my little bit: if you have a burning question that concerns the biological sciences, why not pop over and see if anyone can answer it. You know: how did sauropods sleep, what did Coelurosauravus do with its mobile frill, how fast can an elephant swim, who would win in a fight between Xenoposeidon and Nigersaurus... oh, hold on, those particular questions have already been asked. Oh well, you get the picture.
Here's a good question: why do Stan's teeth look so artificially long? What's that: what is Stan? Well, hey, that's a good question too. And I just noticed that I managed to capture an orb in the photo too - well hey, must be because of those ghost videos I watched on youtube last night. Spooo-oo-oooo-ky! Hold on: maybe the orb is Stan's ghost?
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Hi Darren, thanks for the links!
Hmmm, looks like they have mounted the roots as part of the crowns making his ganshers extra long, just like in Shunosaurus. How do people mix these up -even the colour is different on this one....?
Yeah, I know that, you know that... you know, all the Stan replicas are like that. I've even seen some people argue that this was the actual life condition and that some tyrannosaurs must have had an unusual amount of soft tissue growing up the bases of their teeth. Yeah, right.
Mobile frill? What?
A fight between Xenoposeidon and Nigersaurus? Please. Xenoposeidon all the way.
Yes, it really happened. Sadly some people take things a bit too literally sometimes:
http://www.askabiologist.org.uk/punbb/viewtopic.php?id=843
Hmmm, teeth.
Hypothesis 1: Those are protective caps for the benefit of those with curious fingers and a long reach, cos the serrated edges well-preserved on those steakknife teeth are STILL dangerous.
Hypothesis 2: They have reconstructed the teeth on the basis of ceratopsian horn-cores, significantly enlarged by horn sheaths in life.
Orbs. Ahh, so you know about them! Well, yes, clearly even transdimensional photosomic beings find it fascinating to scrutinise the details of reconstructed theropod anatomy.