More On Carnotaurus hands

[Nick Longrich <longrich@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>]

        I had yet another look at the photograph of the Carnotaurus
skeleton in _Hunting Dinosaurs_. The palms are definitely pointing
laterally, with maybe a bit of a caudal inclination, but have a look
at it and you'll see that while they may be pointing way out to the
side, they _shouldn't_ be, or at least, not to that degree. You'll
notice that the ends of the blades of the scapula, rather than lying
flat along the rib cage, are sticking a good ways out into the
air. The scapulacoracoids also touch in the middle, instead of being
connected to a breastplate as in other dinosaurs. See if things don't
improve by mentally pulling the ends of the scapula together and the
coracoids apart.
         The hands, then, would face, when the elbow is straightened,
to the side and back. When flexed (could they be flexed?)  perhaps
they would be in a position similar to when we humans shoot a
basketball- hands together, elbows to the side. This is assuming, of
course, that everything besides the scapulacoracoids is correctly
mounted.

        -nick l.