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Re: SVP 2004



Hopefully one day an alvarezsaurid specimen will be found with preserved
stomach contents, telling us what they did eat: [...] grubs
(forelimbs used to strip bark),

Not recommended for an animal that can climb... about as well as a horse.

eggs (forelimbs used to carry and break open large eggs - and the
long legs were used to run away from angry mothers),

Unless the eggs had unrealistically thick shells, I'd rather suggest ordinary long maniraptoriform arms for that job. Several long fingers for grasping, long arms in general for fast snatching.


maybe carrion (forelimbs used to tear open carcasses)?

I'd rather leave that to someone with real teeth. Or at least someone with claws with a cutting edge.


It's also possible that the forelimbs were used for different functions in
different alvarezsaurid taxa.  After all, there is an impressive range of
size variation in the group, from little _Parvicursor_ (maybe under 1m in
body length) to _Rapator_ (possibly over 6m).

Oh yes. But then the Morrison Fm preserves termite mounds that are up to 30 m high.