RE: Labocania

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> John Fredriksen
>
> Back in the mid-1970s I read somewhere that an expedition to Baja,
> Mexico, discovered a giant (and apparently late-surviving) megalosaur
> from the Creteaceous beds there. It was christened Labocania. A huge
> hadrosaur, with a wide, marine-type tail, was also uncovered. Has
> anybody followed up on these interesting discoveries?

The phylogenetic identity of _Labocania_ is still questionable.  It has a
few tyrannosaurid-like features, but some abelisaurid-like features as well.
Wierd critter.

The hadrosaur does not have a particularly "marine-type" tail: all
hadrosaurids have dorsoventrally deep, mediolaterally thin tails.  However,
they ALSO have a latticework of ossified tendons in the tail which would
prevent it being used as a crocodile-type sculling device.

I do not know if anyone has followed up with new Baja digs.

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
                College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/pages/faculty/HOLTZ/holtz.html
http://www.inform.umd.edu/SCHOLAR/programs/elt.html
Phone:  301-405-4084            Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796