Page 78 - The Dinosaur Book and Other Wonders of the Prehistoric World (DK-Smithsonian)

About tails

The vicious spikes at the tip Caudipteryx had a
of the tail could easily kill short, stiffened tail
an attacking hunter.
with a distinctive fan
of feathers.
Caudipteryx

The weight of its tail
helped Spinosaurus keep its
Huayangosaurus balance on land and in water.
Spinosaurus The biggest dinosaur Although built

like a bird,
yet found had a slender,
mobile tail tip for flicking Caudipteryx had
short front limbs
enemies aside. and could not fly.

Patagotitan
Sinosauropteryx Traces of color cells

in the fossils of this small
hunter show that its tail
and dark bands.
Lesothosaurus
Big muscles attached to had a pattern of light
the base of the tail helped power
the dinosaur’s legs.

Shunosaurus The sharp spikes on the

tail made it an effective
weapon for defense.

Whether long, spiked, clubbed, or especially important for dinosaurs like
feathered, dinosaur tails had different Xiongguanlong that walked on their
uses. Most of the big dinosaurs had long, bony hind legs. The giant sauropod
tails equipped with powerful muscles. These Patagotitan, however, could sweep its
heavy tails helped to balance the weight of the long tail sideways like a whip with enough
76 dinosaur’s head and upper body. This was speed and force to knock a predator off its
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