Re: Ornitholestes

["Ken Carpenter" <KCarpenter@dmns.org>]

The skull of Orfnitholestes will be described by Mark Norell (the postcranial 
manuscript by me, Cliff Miles, Karen Cloward and John Ostrom is in press). Mark 
has had much more preparation done on the skull and did indeed discover that 
the so-called base of the horn is a displaced fragment of the right nasal. The 
skull is crushed and skewed forcing one side upwards relative to the other. 
Mark was generous to let us look at the skull since its preparation and we 
fully agree with him.

Kenneth Carpenter, Ph.D.
Curator of Lower Vertebrate Paleontology &
Chief Preparator
Dept. of Earth Sciences
Denver Museum of Natural History 
2001 Colorado Blvd.
Denver, CO 80205

Phone: (303)370-6392
Fax: (303)331-6492
email: KCarpenter@DMNS.org

>>> "Ivan Kwan" <dino_rampage@hotmail.com> 22/Jul/03 >>>
I read recently that it has been discovered that _Ornitholestes_ did not in 
fact possess a horn/ crest/ protuberance on its snout. How accepted is this 
view? Does this mean that all the restorations of horned _Ornitholestes_ 
erroneous? And what about _Proceratosaurus_? Is it still considered a close 
relative of _Ornitholestes_, and did it have a horn as well?

(Of course, we can always say that the holotype of _Ornitholestes_ was a 
female and thus would not have a horn, while the males would have horns, but 
then...)

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