RE: Tiny dinosaur on verge of swearing off meat

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

David Marjanovic wrote:


> Unfortunately, I have only now stopped to think if this fascinating
> discovery tells us anything about *Eshanosaurus*.


One intriguing possibility is that _Eshanosaurus_ is really a theropod after 
all, and is some kind of coelurosaur.  If so, as an Early Jurassic omnivorous 
coelurosaur, _Eshanosaurus_ might represent the template from which later 
maniraptoriforms evolved from.  _Eshanosaurus_ may even be close to 
_Ornitholestes_, which would put it inside the Maniraptoriformes.


OK, so I don't rate this hypothesis too highly at the moment.  But even though 
there are some carnivorous (or putatively carnivorous) taxa that turn up at the 
base of the Coelurosauria, such as _Proceratosaurus_ and probably _Gasosaurus_ 
(although the skull is unknown), a shift away from hypercarnivory may have 
occurred quite deep in the Coelurosauria.


Cheers

Tim
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