RE: Epidexipteryx

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

David Marjanovic wrote:


> Given their size, I find it hard to not imagine lots of insects in their diet.


I don't disagree.  But was _Archaeopteryx_ able to snatch flying insects out of 
the air?  Or was it limited to picking insects off the ground or vegetation?


> However, there's *Shenzhouraptor* with the gingko fruits in its stomach, and
> then there's *Omnivoropteryx*. 


Yep.  Also, _Omnivoropteryx_ is very similar to _Sapeornis_ (and potentially 
synonymous), which has been interpreted as herbivorous (Zhou & Zhang, 2003; 
Can. J. Earth Sci. 40: 731–747).


> What about *Jinfengopteryx*? 


In the paper that first described _Mahakala_, Turner et al. (2007) found the 
troodontid _Jinfengopteryx_ to be more derived than _Sinovenator_+_Mei_.

(BTW, _Jinfengopteryx_ also has seed-like objects in its abdominal cavity.)


> And who except Scott knows where this one
> http://dml.cmnh.org/2005Oct/msg00461.html belongs and what teeth it has...


Yep, can't wait for this to be described.


(Many thanks for the abstract, David!)


Cheers

Tim

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