It’s less the weight and more density to surface area. This is square cube law territory. A human can be lifted by a 65 mph wind, a cow apparently takes 140-280. At that rate large sauropods would exceed theoretical earth wind speeds.
What trips people up is thinking in terms of just weight. A double wide trailer with furniture can hit over 30 tons but is mostly air. A large sauropod is significantly heavier, solid, made of more dense materials, and more aerodynamic.
Is it density to surface area or aerodynamics? If it can lift a packed 120 ton train, I would think it can lift a 40 ton sauropod, unless maybe the airflow around it stops the lift?
Surface area/aerodynamics is to make sure the density isn’t spread out in a big sheet or something. Train cars are very fluffy for the max weight they can carry. The stories about trains being picked up don’t really detail that it’s usually empty and/or just rolled over, and not the locomotive.
It’s less the weight and more density to surface area. This is square cube law territory. A human can be lifted by a 65 mph wind, a cow apparently takes 140-280. At that rate large sauropods would exceed theoretical earth wind speeds. What trips people up is thinking in terms of just weight. A double wide trailer with furniture can hit over 30 tons but is mostly air. A large sauropod is significantly heavier, solid, made of more dense materials, and more aerodynamic.
Is it density to surface area or aerodynamics? If it can lift a packed 120 ton train, I would think it can lift a 40 ton sauropod, unless maybe the airflow around it stops the lift?
Surface area/aerodynamics is to make sure the density isn’t spread out in a big sheet or something. Train cars are very fluffy for the max weight they can carry. The stories about trains being picked up don’t really detail that it’s usually empty and/or just rolled over, and not the locomotive.