FIGURE 7 in Craniocervical feeding dynamics of Tyrannosaurus rex

FIGURE 7. Sensitivity of inertial feeding in Tyrannosaurus rex to moment estimation error and muscle recruitment. Note that bilateral contraction by M. trans. cap. alone imparted over three times the acceleration necessary for inertial feeding under the specified conditions. The x-axis variables are combined, bilateral [bilat. or (2)] and individual unilateral [(unilat. or (1)] instances of muscle activation. The y-axis values are tangential accelerations in g (Χ 9.81 m/s2) that muscles would impart to 490 N of food, 0.9 m from the occipital condyle. Acceleration values directly above single muscles or collective sets represent their maximum output. At 1.5 g, the food would be tossed high enough for inertial feeding. If a given muscle or set of muscles impart greater than 1.5 g, other muscles have recruitment latitude (''wiggle room'') for reorienting food in the mouth. Accelerations below 1.5 g impart insufficient tangential velocity to the food, necessitating additional muscle recruitment. Abbreviations: tr. cap., M. transversospinalis capitis. compl.; M. complexus. spl., M. splenius capitis; all, all of these three head dorsiflexors.