What might the lack of complete, intact skeletons for super-giant sauropods suggest about taphonomy?
Answer
The larger the animal, the greater the surface area exposed to degradation
The sheer quantity of bone material required for an animal weighing 50 to 100 tons to survive fossilization intact means that the larger the animal, the greater the surface area exposed to environmental degradation after death, decreasing preservation chances.
Related Questions
How many complete skeletons of Argentinosaurus have paleontologists uncovered?What type of fossil material primarily constitutes the basis for describing Argentinosaurus?Who first reported the material constituting the basis for the description of Argentinosaurus in 1993?Roughly how old are the fossils of Argentinosaurus found in the Candeleros Formation?To which major group of sauropods does Argentinosaurus belong?What method must paleontologists use to estimate the size of Argentinosaurus due to incomplete fossils?What might the lack of complete, intact skeletons for super-giant sauropods suggest about taphonomy?In which specific province of Argentina was the critical fossil assemblage of Argentinosaurus unearthed?What threshold must typically be met for a dinosaur skeleton to be considered 'complete' in paleontology?Which other titanosaur is mentioned as being known from more extensive remains than Argentinosaurus?