Re: the maniraptoran wrist

[GSP1954@aol.com]

As I detail in Dinosaurs of the Air, the avepectoran wrist and folding arm 
evolved in order to fold wings among fliers, and was retained in 
neoflightless forms as they often are in neoflightless birds. The idea that 
such arms evolved as snap action prey catching systems is weak since such 
devices evolve only in sit-and-wait predators, not those that can run fast 
enough to catch prey on the move and simpy reach out with the arms to latch 
on. 

G Paul