Re: Opisthocoelicaudia (was Re: Titanosaurids)

[Dinogeorge@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/23/02 3:06:02 PM EST, TiJaWi@agron.iastate.edu writes:

<< Then along came
 _Beipiaosaurus_... and tum-de-dum, maybe segnosaurs are theropods after all. 
>>

No, it was Nothronychus (before its description), which was the first 
segnosaur in which there was a preserved furcula, together with a better 
description of the segnosaur foot (Sereno, pers. comm.) than was available in 
the literature. The furcula carries a lot of weight in theropod systematics, 
and it was enough to push me over the line: so, segnosaurs are theropods 
convergent on prosauropods rather than prosauropods convergent on theropods. 
If something like that turns up in Opisthocoelicaudia, I'll change my mind. 
But right now, there's just not enough evidence that O. is a titanosaur for 
me to alter my opinion.