Long-Necked Dinosaurs Held Heads Horizontally

 

 

Sauropod dinosaurs -- the group including the well-known Apatosaurus (formerly known as Brontosaurus) could not have kept their long necks in a vertical position, according to a new study.
At best, the dinosaurs would have needed to expend nearly half their energy just to hold their necks up, the study found. At worst, they would have passed out after lifting their heads at a 90-degree angle.
The study, published in the latest Royal Society Biology Letters, adds to an emerging consensus that sauropods held their necks -- up to 30 feet long -- in a horizontal position. In the future, museum exhibits, movies and books may reflect the change in their depictions of these enormous prehistoric animals.
Based on the new findings, it is believed that sauropods held their heads more like a horse than a giraffe.