Irritator

[jrw6f@faraday.clas.virginia.edu]

Has anyone noticed the similarity between Shanshanosaurus and
Irritator?  A quick comparison of the figure in DinoGeorge's Dino
Doings and _The Dinosauria_ show a small similarity.  Of course,
Irritator does seem a lot more derived than Shanshanosaurus, but the
two show about as much similarity as Irritator does to Baryonyx
[sic... it's way too early in the morning :( -- JRW].

Similarities:
Jaw joint below the line of the jaw, infratemporal fenestra partially
below orbit.
        Can anyone find any others?
Significant Differences:
Surrangular foramen in Shanshanosaurus (stated in _The Dinosauria_,
not figured).

The general skull structure of the two taxa is grossly similar, but
differs in fine details (in Irritator, the lacrimal contacts the
maxilla, in Shanshanosaurus, the jugal is excluded from the orbit...),
but it is something to think about.  (Warning: as usual, I have not
read the relevant papers yet...)

Wagner
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Jonathan R. Wagner                                      
Graduate Student sans Portfolio
jrw6f@virginia.edu
        Poor excuse for a home page:
        http://faraday.clas.virginia.edu/~jrw6f
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