Re: Ornithomimids and Ratites (was Re: Big Dinosaur Prints Found)

["Tim Williams" <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Nick Pharris wrote:

> I can't think of any South American ones off the top of my head, but
> _Timimus_ is supposed (on the basis of a couple of bones) to be an
> ornithomimid from Australia (also, of course, a hotbed of ratite 
> evolution).

I don't know if this has been published or not (I heard it word-of-mouth), 
but _Timimus hermani_ (Dinosaur Cove, Victoria; Aptian) is now regarded as 
Theropoda _incertae sedis_.  I know Pat and Tom Rich originally described 
_Timimus_ as an ornithomimosaur, based on the slender proportions of the 
femora.  It *might* be an ornithomimosaur, it's just that based on the 
available material (two femora), there is not enough evidence to warrant 
such a referral.  I'm not even sure if _Timimus_ can be confidently regarded 
as a coelurosaur, since the femur also bears an uncanny resemblance to that 
of _Elaphrosaurus_.

Interestingly, other putative ornithomimosaur material (ungual, pubis, 
vertebrae) is known from this part of Australia, of about the same age.


Tim




------------------------------------------------------------

Timothy J. Williams

USDA/ARS Researcher
Agronomy Hall
Iowa State University
Ames IA 50014

Phone: 515 294 9233
Fax:   515 294 3163

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