Re: Ceratonykus oculatus

[evelyn sobielski <koreke77@yahoo.de>]

> suborder. Or that
> they are avians (sensu lato) and therefore not part of a
> paraphyletic
> Theropoda. (It does say "taxonomic position", not
> "phylogenetic
> position".)

I would be surprised. After all, Baesbold was perhaps the first scientist to 
point out that not only some but *most* "avian" characters were not limited to 
Aves but occured all over what eventually became the maniraptoriform theropods, 
and that birds cannot be simply diagnosed by the presence of a few traits. 
Though alvarezsaurids *are* a weird bunch (though none is as "birdlike" as 
_Rahonavis_ or _Microraptor_).


Regards,

Eike