RE: Thoughts on Tanycolagreus

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> Jaime A. Headden
>

[lots of stuff snipped!]

> Nonetheless, the similarities
> between *T. topwilsoni* and *D. paradoxus* are unmistakable and provide the
> following hypothesis:
>
>   *Tanycolagreus topwilsoni* is the most basal member of Tyrannosauroidea, and
> provides the most complete skeletal evidence for Tyrannosauroidea in the Upper
> Jurassic, affirming *Aviatyrannis jurassica* and *S. clevelandi* as
> tyrannosauroids.
>
>   Further data would arrive in the form of a more indepth analysis and
> inclusion of *T. topwilsoni* into a cladistic analysis, such as Holtz' latest
> monster, and the presence of two tyrannosauroids in the Morrison Formation may
> argue that *S. clevelandi* and *T. topwilsoni* are synonyms, yet the only
> comparable material so far are caudal vertebrae.
>
I haven't included it yet, but planned on including it for the Rockford Jane 
symposium. However, my impressions run pretty close to
yours, and I wouldn't be terribly surprised if it isn't a basal tyrannosauroid.

Incidentally, it is decent sized animal: Carpenter et al. estimate the 
Cleveland-Lloyd individual at about 3.5 m long.

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
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