Re: a couple of queries

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

Justin Tweet wrote:

<1. One of the SVP abstracts mentioned a skeleton of *Ceratosaurus*
with ossified tendons above the sacrals, and suggests that the type was
subadult. Could poorly ossified tendons in the type have been the
source for the irregular *Ceratosaurus* osteoderms?>

  The osteoderms of *Ceratosaurus* are quite different than what would
be affirmed from ossified tendons; they are elongated discs with keels
and resemble those seen in titanosaurs and ankylosaurs. Keeled discs.

<2. In *The Dinosauria*'s section on Troodontidae, there are a number
of references to an indeterminate EK troodontid from Mongolia. My
question is, has this material ever been compared to Sinornithoides*?>

  Currie and Peng, in 1994, compared them all with a juvenile Iren
Dabasu skeleton referred to *Saurornithoides* (a hindlimb). GI (SPS)
100/44 is a strange form that is still separated from other
troodontids, largely based on ther lack of a comprehensive ontogenetic
study of these forms, and the probability it represents a unique taxon.
The skeletons were further compared to *Byronosaurus* by Norell,
Makovicky, and Clark, 2000, JVP 20(1): 7-11. Both the Currie and Peng
specimen (1994: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 30: 2224-2230) [IVPP
V10597] and the Barbsold, Osmolska, and Kurzanov specimen (1987: Acta
Paleontologica Polonica 32 (1-2): 121-132, w/ pls. 49-52) [GI (SPS)
100/44] have been suggested as new species, but conservatively were not
discussed as such because any unique features noticed could pertain to
ontogeny and the juvenility of the specimens, rather than any "actual"
characters that might separate them.

=====
Jaime "James" A. Headden

  Dinosaurs are horrible, terrible creatures! Even the
  fluffy ones, the snuggle-up-at-night-with ones. You think
  they're fun and sweet, but watch out for that stray tail
  spike! Down, gaston, down, boy! No, not on top of Momma!

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