RE: Rapator,the giant alvarezsaur

["Tim Williams" <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Brian Lauret wrote:

> I'm sure all (or most) of the people on the list know about the likely 
> alvarezsaur nature of Australia's Rapator.

I think the referral of _Rapator_ to the Alvarezsauridae first surfaced on 
this list a few years back.  AFAIK, this referral has not been formally 
published (although I could be wrong on this).

> We all know it would have been a VERY big one at that (an estimated 6-metre 
> one to be exact,as opposed to any other alvarezsaur wich are mostly about 
> 1-metre long)With other alvarezsaurs being considered myrmecophages I 
> wonder,could this have counted for Rapator as well?

The idea that alvarezsaurids were myrmecophagous is still in the realm of 
speculation.  This doesn't mean it's wrong - it just means we require more 
evidence.  I've seen other hypotheses.  For example, maybe alvarezsaurids 
used their stubby forelimbs and massive claws for stripping bark, to gain 
access to wood-boring insects.  Or maybe alvarezsaurids used their forelimbs 
to tear open bee hives: http://www.cmnh.org/dinoarch/2001Nov/msg00341.html

> So is Rapator considered a myrmecophage or rather a predator using it's 
> nasty monoclawed hands to hack into larger,vertebrate,prey?

Maybe the claws were used to hack into large vertebrate prey - if the prey 
was already dead.  In other words, alvarezsaurids were scavengers that used 
their claws to rip open caracsses.   Maybe, maybe, maybe...  Alvarezsaurids 
are fascinating critters, and it's enormous fun to speculate on their life 
habits, as I'm sure you'd agree.  At the moment we need more evidence to 
support any hypothesis on what the highly specialized, functionally 
monodactyl forelimbs were used for.


Tim

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