Dr. Russell's "Dinosauroid" (was: "The New Dinosaurs")

[Phillip Bigelow <n8010095@henson.cc.wwu.edu>]

:>I haven't seen "The New Dinosaurs".  I hope it doesn't have that version of
:>an intelligent Troodon descendant with flat feet, no tail and all those other
:>hominid-mimicking characters.

When Dale Russell came out with his "Dinosauroid",I was a little mystified as to
why he chose its evolution to be convergent with hominids.  I still am mystified
(although I usually am, anyway).  Could it be that Russell made the
same mistake in interpreting evolution as did some scientists in the
beginning of this century?  By that I mean, did Dr. Russell 
assume that evolution is always "progressive"?  He may have made 
the mistake of assuming that an increase in brain size would necessitate 
up-right posture and a loss of the tail.  That is an anthropomorphic view of
evolution, at least in my opinion.
  We already *know* what the result of continued theropod evolution was
after the Cretaceous extinction.  Brain size *did* increase in the Tertiary
dinosaurs, but not in the way that Dr. Russell hypothesized. Many theropods
living today, for instance, have larger brains than did Troodon.  Yet our
living theropods still have a horizontal backbone, and elongated snouts with
beaks, and they still walk on their toes, rather than on their ankles.
OK...they *did* loose most of their tails, I'll grant that much to Russell's
super-dino.  :-)
  I have to admit, though, Dale's "dinosauroid" is a wonderful creation, and
is fun to look at.  Sort of resembles a Hollywood-created space alien...

  p.s.  On page 323 of Robert Carroll's text _Vertebrate Paleontology and
Evolution_, there is a graph comparing brain-size to body-size of dinosaurs,
birds, reptiles and mammals.  Does anyone know where Troodon would fit on
that chart?