Page 45 - Dinosaur (DK Eyewitness Books)

CRACKING THE WHIP Scaly,
A lumbering sauropod’s main defense was its sheer Tail bones are slender, bony muscular tail
size and weight, but Apatosaurus and its relatives cylinders near tip of tail
could also deliver stinging blows with their long,
snaking tails. Like a ringmaster cracking a
bullwhip, perhaps Apatosaurus could
also flick its tail to produce a sudden
sound as loud as a big gun being
fired—scary enough to deter
even the biggest predator.

LASHING OUT
Crocodiles are the largest living reptiles
to use their tails for threatening enemies.
On land, a dominant male may lash his tail from
side to side before attacking another male. If he is
swimming, the male may slap his head on the water
before thrashing his tail to and fro. Threatening
displays like this are usually enough to drive off a
rival—actual fights between male crocodiles are rare.

Apatosaurus Scute (bony plate)
skeleton on tail

Triangular tail spike

BONY CLUB
Ankylosaurs such as Euoplocephalus had a
tail that ended in a huge, heavy club. This
consisted of two large, bony side plates and
two small end plates fused together and
joined to vertebrae in the tail to form its tip.
Strong tendons stiffened the tail bones that
formed the club’s handle. Swung by strong
Tail club up to muscles, the club could knock over a
3 ft (1 m) across big theropod or even break its leg.

Spiny tail False head

THORNS ON THE MOVE
With spines sticking out from its tail and the
rest of its body, the thorny devil, or moloch, looks
like a tinier but spikier version of Gastonia. Most
predators would find this small lizard too prickly
to tackle and might be confused by the false head
on its neck. The moloch lives in Australia’s deserts.

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