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2$\begingroup$ Note that the maximum load that the legs can hold is usually very much larger than what the animal weighs. For example, human legs can hold half a ton with no problems, but humans are very much lighter than that. The reason that the legs must allow the animal to walk and run. P.S. Like all the big sauropods, Argentinosaurus had elephant-like pillar legs. Birds are not sauropods and their legs are not at all arranged like vertical pillars. $\endgroup$AlexP– AlexP2026-02-23 23:31:54 +00:00Commented Feb 23 at 23:31
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$\begingroup$ What if we "cheat" by giving the animal a tail? $\endgroup$T.E.D.– T.E.D.2026-02-24 18:45:56 +00:00Commented Feb 24 at 18:45
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$\begingroup$ While a tail might help reduce support load during walking, it's unlikely to be contacting the ground during running, so its additional mass would likely be more of a hinderance than help, at least for load-bearing, although it can improve balance and thus speed. $\endgroup$Miral– Miral2026-02-25 01:27:26 +00:00Commented Feb 25 at 1:27
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$\begingroup$ @T.E.D. Nice idea. The animal could have evolutionary remnants of its fish-tail and also of its wings. Both can be used for stabilization and could be a better solution than the pure reduction in size. $\endgroup$Thibe– Thibe2026-02-25 14:00:36 +00:00Commented Feb 25 at 14:00
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$\begingroup$ I mean, I didn't come up with it from nowhere. Tyrannosaurs were all 2-legged with very long tails, and while they didn't use it for support, the even larger 4-legged Sauropods supposedly would rise up on theirs (along with their back legs), using it as kind of a 3rd leg while they reached for higher vegetation. Plus, well, Godzilla depictions usually show his tail on the ground. It seems like a dragged tail could take at least a little weight off the 2 legs. $\endgroup$T.E.D.– T.E.D.2026-02-25 14:32:23 +00:00Commented Feb 25 at 14:32
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