Re: _ErliKosaurus_

[Dinogeorge@aol.com]

In a message dated 96-05-25 22:09:41 EDT, Stang1996@aol.com writes:

> Sorry, for the rant.....  My source is Nick Pharris who I believe
>said that Phil Currie said that _Erlikosaurus_' braincase and cranial
>nerve anatomy were very similar to birds.  I think they are
>bullatosaurs because of their enlarged parasphenoids (like Troodonts
>etc..).

An inflated basisphenoid capsule and other advanced theropod features of the
skull of _Erlikosaurus_ are almost certainly not homologies. Any anatomist
can find hundreds of character loci within the intricate anatomy of a typical
dinosaur skull, so it is not surprising that some of these, now and then,
present similar structures in similar-looking but not closely related
species. Dinosaur skulls are outrageously variable and any supposed cranial
synapomorphies uniting taxa above the generic level require more salt grains
than usual.