Re: Mononykus and Avimimus

[Thomas_R_HOLTZ@umail.umd.edu (th81)]

Tim Williams wrote:

>George Olshevsky wrote: 
>
>> _Avimimus_--which shares a number of features with _Mononykus_ and
>> could well be closely related; compare the hind limb bones of the
>> two genera, for example).
> 
>I can't believe no one has thought of this before!

This is not exactly original... :-)

> They're both small arctometatarsalians, superficially bird-like,
> large olecranon process, and with (putative) carpometacarpi.

The carpometacarpi of Mononykus and Avimimus are fairly disimlar, to
say the least!

> There's no need to go all the way down to Patagonia to find the
> closest relative of _Mononykus_.

Unless, of course, there is a fossil of such already there!

(And, of course, the U.S. has its 'mononykine' alvarezsaurid, too!).

>Who came up with the notion that _Avimimus_ is a chimera - I hadn't
>heard of that before.

Pers. commun. from Mark Norell, and through him from the Mongolian theropod
worker Perle Altangarel.

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Vertebrate Paleontologist     Webpage: http://www.geol.umd.edu
Dept. of Geology              Email:th81@umail.umd.edu
University of Maryland        Phone:301-405-4084
College Park, MD  20742       Fax:  301-314-9661

"There are some who call me...  Tim."