Re: Raptors climbing trees?

[John Conway <john.a.conway@gmail.com>]

Graydon wrote:

> Especially in the case of something like a dromaeosaur where they're
> clearly specialized for something but we can't tell precisely what, I
> think there's a fair bit of value in trying to set limits on the shape
> of the ecological space they lived in, because that might eventually
> give some sufficient hint about what they were specialized for...

If we can't see what they're specialised /for/, then we can't know they 
are specialised. Dromaeosaurs may be /derived/, but that is not the same 
as specialised.

For example, /Homo/ is a pretty derived genus, but also one helluva 
generalist.

Cheers,
John

--
Palaeontography: http://palaeo.jconway.co.uk