A high-heeled dinosaur?

A 24-tonne dinosaur may have walked in a 'high-heeled' fashion, according to University of Queensland research. UQ PhD candidate Andréas Jannel and colleagues from UQ's Dinosaur Lab analysed fossils of Australia's only named Jurassic sauropod, Rhoetosaurus brownei, to better understand how such an enormous creature could support its own body weight. "Looking at the bones of the foot, it was clear that Rhoetosaurus walked with an elevated heel, raising the question: how was its foot able to support the immense mass of this animal, up to 40 tonnes?" Mr Jannel said. "Our research suggests that even though Rhoetosaurus stood on its tiptoes, the heel was cushioned by fleshy pad." "We see a similar thing in elephant feet, but this dinosaur was at least five times as heavy as an elephant, so the forces involved are much greater." Mr Jannel and his colleagues arrived at this conclusion by creating a replica of the fossil, and then physically manipulating it in an attempt to understand the movement between bones. "We also used 3D modelling techniques to assess the different foot postures that would have allowed Rhoetosaurus to support its weight," he said. "Finally, we looked at a range of sauropod footprints from around the world, many of which indicated the presence of a fleshy heel pad behind the toes, supporting what the bones were telling us. "The addition of a cushioning pad that supports the raised heel appears to be a key innovation during the evolution of sauropods, and probably appeared in early members of the group some time during the Early to Middle Jurassic Periods.