Re: Giganotosaurus Carolinii

[John Schneiderman <dino@revelation.unomaha.edu>]

> 
> James Gurney in _The World Beneath_ (sequel to _Dinotopia_) has G. make 
> an appearance in that book, a real scoop fiction-wise. I seem to remember 
> Gurney doing an article in  _The Prehistoric Times_ about it, too. His 
> illustrations show G. carolinii with three fingers, as does the 
> restoration on page 226 of the issue of _Nature_ cited above. Can someone 
> comment on why it is assumed that G. had three fingers? Also, what do you 
> think of the Gurney interpretation of what the living beast looked like?
> 

I suspect that Giganotosaurus carolinii is a ceratosaurian (as are the 
other large South American theropods; Carnotaurus, Abelisaurus)

I also suspect that the arm length of Giganotosaurus is longer then that 
of Tyrannosaurids

It's a shame the material for Giganotosaurus was so fragmentary

---John Schneiderman (dino@revelation.unomaha.edu)