Re: Size of Theropods -Reply

["Nicholas J. Pharris" <pharrinj@PLU.edu>]

On Tue, 23 Jan 1996, Scott Horton wrote:

>  >Now that coelurosaurs have got pretty big with the inclusion of
> >tyrannosaurs, just what is an acceptable definition of the differences
> >between the two?
> >Graeme Worth
> 
> I thought that the inclusion of tyrannosaurs into ceolurosauria (or
> whatever the term is) was still being considered heretical or at least very
> controversial. Has it gained general acceptance? Is Tyrannosaurus more
> closely related to Deinocheirus than to, say, Allosaurus?

There are certainly a number of scientists which are coming to accept the 
conclusion that tyrannosaurs, troodonts, and ornithomimosaurs are closely 
related to each other and quite close to the birds.

Yes, Tyrannosaurus, as a tyrannosaur, is fairly close to Deinocheirus, an 
ornithomimosaur.  Tyrannosaurs show no particularly close relationship to 
allosaurs at all.  Their common features are most likely parallel 
developments for large theropods.

> I remember about a year ago, Mickey suggested that the claw
> could have been used to climb trees in the fashion of people who used
> cleated shoes to climb telephone poles. 

I don't know if it would be exacly applicable for dromaeosaurs proper, 
but I recently suggested to Dinogeorge that the hyperextensible second 
toe, also present in the dromaeosaur relative _Archaopteryx_, might have 
initially evolved for this purpose.


Nick Pharris
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
(206)535-8204
PharriNJ@PLU.edu

"If you can't convince them, confuse them." -- Harry S. Truman