国际研究团队通过有限元分析法研究了两种南美蜥脚类恐龙的直立站立能力，发现了一个有趣的生物力学现象。[1]该研究对象包括巴西的Uberabatitan ribeiroi和阿根廷的Neuquensaurus australis，这两个物种生活在约66百万年前的晚白垩纪时期。[1]成年Uberabatitan可能长达26米，是巴西已知最大的恐龙。[1]
通过模拟这些恐龙股骨在直立状态下承受的应力，研究人员发现较小的蜥脚类恐龙拥有更强健的股骨结构，能够更好地分散压力。[1]这意味着这些恐龙在年幼阶段具有更强的直立站立能力，但随着体型增大，直立站立的能力会明显下降。[1]由Julian Silva Júnior领导的研究团队来自巴西、德国和阿根廷，获得FAPESP资金支持。[1]该研究已于2025年发表在《古生物学》期刊第68卷第4期上。[1]
An international research team has used finite element analysis to investigate how certain sauropod dinosaurs managed their massive body weight as they grew.[1] The study examined two species from South America—Uberabatitan ribeiroi from Brazil and Neuquensaurus australis from Argentina—which lived during the Late Cretaceous period approximately 66 million years ago.[1] By simulating the stress distribution on the femurs of these long-necked giants, researchers discovered that smaller sauropods possessed more robust leg bones capable of better withstanding the mechanical demands of upright standing, particularly during their younger years.[1]
As these dinosaurs matured and their body size increased dramatically, their ability to maintain an upright stance declined significantly.[1] Adult Uberabatitan could reach lengths of up to 26 meters, making it the largest known dinosaur from Brazil.[1] The research reveals a biomechanical trade-off inherent to extreme body size growth in sauropods: the skeletal adaptations that allowed younger individuals to stand comfortably became insufficient as the animals approached full size.[1]
The study was conducted by an international team led by Julian Silva Júnior, a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Engineering at São Paulo State University, with support from FAPESP and collaborators from Brazil, Germany, and Argentina.[1] The findings have been published in the journal Palaeontology, Volume 68, Issue 4, 2025, with DOI: 10.1111/pala.70019.[1]