Re: Arboreal Theropods: The prize at the bottom of the cracker jack box

[don ohmes <d_ohmes@yahoo.com>]

!>From an ecomorphological
>perspective, one pitfall (as Mike Habib and myself pointed out) it is
>very difficult to delineate "partially arboreal" (i.e., only
>occasionally venturing into trees) from "fully arboreal" based on
>morphology alone.

As I pointed out long ago, beyond the basic ability to climb, it is impossible 
to delineate -- even in the case where the "venturing" is nightly. 

M gallopavo a good example of ground-foraging animal that perches nightly, yet 
has a foot that gives no evidence of that habit -- assuming it is descended 
from a smaller pheasant-like ancestor.

>So unless one has a compelling reason to put
>non-avialan theropods in trees, why do it?

As Orenstein mentioned -- PREDATOR AVOIDANCE.