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Avian humeral bone strength and flight with implications for eumaniraptoran dinosaurs

POSTER

Abstract

The strength of humerus bone is evaluated for 17 species of extant birds with varying mass by measuring its section modulus. The least massive bird is \textit{Regulus calendula} (0.0058 kg) while the most massive is \textit{Cygnus olor} (8.959 kg), a range of more than a factor of 1500 in mass. The humeral section modulus is found to be proportional to the mass of the bird. Five extinct birds of the Mesozoic are found to have humeri of the same strength (for their mass) as extant birds. The humeral section modulus of 14 eumaniraptoran dinosaurs are tested and five species are found to have humeri strong enough for flight.

Authors

  • Scott Lee

    University of Toledo

  • Clemens Winkelmann

    University of Michigan, Department of Physics \& Astronomy, Michigan State University; CREATE for STEM Institute, Department of Physics \& Astronomy, Michigan State University, Kettering University, Kent State University - Physics, Kent State University - Chemistry, Institute for Physics, Martin-Luther-Universitaet, Halle, Germany, Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA, IPG Photonics, 50 Old Webster Rd., Oxford, MA 01540, OptiGrate, 562 S. Econ Circle, Oviedo, FL 32765, Northrop Grumman Synoptics, 1201 Continental Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28273, University of Toledo, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, Case Western Reserve University, Clarkson University, Univ of Dayton, Australian Ntl Univ, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Dev Command - Armament Ctr, Wayne State University, The University of Akron, Institute of Physics, University of Belgrade, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Néel Institute, Grenoble, France

  • Clemens Winkelmann

    University of Michigan, Department of Physics \& Astronomy, Michigan State University; CREATE for STEM Institute, Department of Physics \& Astronomy, Michigan State University, Kettering University, Kent State University - Physics, Kent State University - Chemistry, Institute for Physics, Martin-Luther-Universitaet, Halle, Germany, Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA, IPG Photonics, 50 Old Webster Rd., Oxford, MA 01540, OptiGrate, 562 S. Econ Circle, Oviedo, FL 32765, Northrop Grumman Synoptics, 1201 Continental Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28273, University of Toledo, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, Case Western Reserve University, Clarkson University, Univ of Dayton, Australian Ntl Univ, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Dev Command - Armament Ctr, Wayne State University, The University of Akron, Institute of Physics, University of Belgrade, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Néel Institute, Grenoble, France