Re: Mononykus sex

[jdharris@lust.isem.smu.edu (Jerry D. Harris)]

At 5:30 PM 8/5/95, DPterosaur@aol.com wrote:
>Some adaptations may only be used once or twice in the life of an animal, but
>if they involve reproduction they will be selected for.  Consider the
>vestigial arms of _Mononykus_, which are apparently only good at grappling
>something about as big around as its own trunk diameter and holding it close
>to its own chest -- like another _Mononykus_ perhaps?? If mating required any
>length of time, or if courtship involved considerable grappling, that would
>explain the big claws (to dig in through the feathers) and the big olecranon.
>Yes or no?

        Since the animal was monodactyl, would this be the equivalent of
dinosaurian thumb-wrestling?  ;-)



Jerry D. Harris
Schuler Museum of Paleontology
Southern Methodist University
jdharris@lust.isem.smu.edu
        (Compuserve:  73132,3372)

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