Re: Re: ?

[Thomas_R_HOLTZ@umail.umd.edu (th81)]

>Provided you believe _Archaeopteryx_ is a bird, then the dromeys are
>definitely more closely related to birds than is _Compsognathus_. I have
>found a few characters linking _Compsognathus_ to tyrannosaurids, not the
>least of which is the two-fingered hand. Imagine tiny _Compsognathus_
>evolving into a giant theropod predator, and you come up
>with..._Tyrannosaurus_, pretty straightforwardly. Of course, the
>arctometatarsalian pes would then have had to evolve at least twice (details,
>details).

Actually, I now accept it evolving three times, so no problem there.

Incidentally, the case for the two fingered Compy is far from over.
Unfortunately, the French specimen is in even worse shape manually than the
German, so that one is no help!

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Vertebrate Paleontologist
Dept. of Geology
University of Maryland
College Park, MD  20742
Email:Thomas_R_HOLTZ@umail.umd.edu (th81)
Fax: 301-314-9661
Phone:301-405-4084