Segnosaurs II

[Stang1996@aol.com]

<<I used to subscribe to the Paulian interpretation of segnosaurs, too; but 
a close look at the description of _Alxasaurus_ and at the skull of 
_Erlikosaurus_, I am convinced that they are derived coelurosaurian 
theropods, probably most closely related to ornitholestids or 
oviraptorosaurs.>>

The only thing I see in the skull of _Erlikosaurus_ that would lead me to
believe that it might come from a Theropod is the enlarged basi-sphenoid.  I
see nothing else that would point directly to theropoda, most of it in fact
points to phytodinosaurs.  As I've said before, the wrists DO NOT have
semi-lunate carpals.  I don't know where they stopped drawing _Alxasaurus'_
bones in the picture; all the hand and finger bones are drawn correctly, but
when it comes to the wrist, it seems as though they started drawing off of
_Deinonychus_ instead of _Alxasaurus_ because that is not what the wrist
bones look like.  Take a look at the lower jaw of _Erlikosaurus_, it is
*practically* identical to _Plateosaurus'_.

Peter Buchholz
Stang1996@aol.com