They found that doing so forced the dinosaur to exert more energy as it moved-without the tail, it used 18% more muscle power. The researchers also changed the size of the tail in the simulations to see how it might impact the creature's locomotion, and in one case, removed it altogether. Grey tiles = 10 cm for tinamou, 50 cm for Coelophysis, played at 0.2× actual speed. Computer simulation of modern tinamou bird (brown) and extinct theropod dinosaur Coelophysis (green) running at maximum speed. They noted that the swinging pattern of the tail resembled that of humans walking or running as they swing their arms. A close look showed that the dinosaur was using its tail to regulate the angular momentum throughout its entire body along an axis to maintain its balance. The researchers found that the dinosaur swung its tail back and forth as it ran or walked in harmony with its neck, creating a rhythmic pattern. Grey tiles = 10 cm, played at 0.2× actual speed. Computer simulation of modern tinamou bird running at maximum speed. After inputting its known characteristics, the researchers ran the simulation and watched as the dinosaur was put through its paces.
After finding their simulation matched closely with the real bird, the researchers turned their attention to Coelophysis bauri-a relatively small Triassic species. The researchers began by developing a generic muscle-driven therapod dinosaur framework, which they tested by simulating the gait of a modern tinamous bird-one that tends to walk much more than fly. To learn more about the role of the tail in locomotion, the researchers used recently developed 3D simulation technology, which are based on computational biomechanics and have been used in a wide variety of applications. In this new effort, the researchers have found evidence that suggests that the tail also was used to help with balance. Prior research has suggested that the long, heavy tails sported by dinosaurs served mainly to counterbalance their long necks and heavy heads.
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