Re: Triassic dino tracks in this week's Science

["Mickey Mortimer" <Mickey_Mortimer111@msn.com>]

Tim Donovan wrote-

> This info is probably way out of date but I note Aliwalia Rex in PDW, a
supposedly Allosaurus sized theropod from the Carnian or Norian of Africa.
If it is still valid it would support Thulborn's research suggesting the
presence of sizeable theropods before the Tr- J.

Indeed Aliwalia is still thought to be theropod (a real theropod too, not a
herrerasaurid), and was quite large (femoral length ~900-1000 mm).  Perhaps
it reached lengths of 10 meters or so.  Specifically, it is from the Lower
Elliot Formation (Late Norian?) of South Africa and known from a partial
femur (NMW 1889-XV-39; NMW 1876-VII-B124) and referred maxilla and
premaxilla (BMNH R3301).  Further information can be found in Galton and van
Heerden 1998.

Reference- Galton and van Heerden, 1998. Anatomy of the prosauropod dinosaur
Blikanasaurus cromptoni (Upper Triassic, South Africa), with notes on other
tetrapods from the lower Elliot Formation. Paläont. Z., 72: 163-177.

Mickey Mortimer