▶ Your Answer : The topic under debate is why sauropods had extremely long necks. The reading strongly believes that there are plausible reasons why sauropods were almost certainly held in a horizontal position. On the other hand, the listening firmly says that they are not very convincing. To begin with, according to the author, one reason for believing that a sauropod's neck was held horizontally is the unusual position of its tail. It means that it would have had to keep its neck in a similar position to act as a counterweight to maintain its balance. However, the professor refutes this point by asserting that it did not need for such sore parts. To be specific, its tail was not heavy enough and more slighter compared to its massive neck. Also, bone of its tail was hollow and filled with air. The writer further insists that a sauropod's diet consisted primarily of marine vegetation is evident to prove that its neck was held horizontally. This idea implies that it would extend its neck outward to reach low-lying plants and a horizontal neck posture would make it easier to feed. The speaker counters this implication by declaring that it is called into question. Specifically, there were no sufficient marine plants at that time and there are various other plants. Subsequently, sauropods used their upright neck to eat greater range of food such as leaves on tall trees. The text lastly claims that a sauropod's muscles were incapable of raising the neck vertically. It explains that its neck muscles were not strong enough to lift the structure and to maintain an upright posture. On the contrary, the lecture offsets this point by arguing that it had strong shoulder muscles. It is true that sauropod's muscles of neck was weak, but its sturdy shoulder muscles would raise its neck vertically.
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