Re: Four-toed theropods

[Jeffrey Martz <martz@holly.ColoState.EDU>]

George Olshevsky wrote:

> If the well-known theropod groups are indeed descendants of groups of small,
> arboreal, narrow-metatarsal dino-birds in which the hallux was large and
> retroverted (as I imagine), then the tetradactyl theropod foot could easily
> be an intermediate evolutionary stage between the large-retroverted-hallux
> foot and the typical theropod foot, in which the reduced hallux points
> medially inward and no longer contacts the substrate. The rarity of
> tetradactyl theropods may indicate the rapidity of this evolutionary trend.

    Wouln't what you are describing be a Triassic form?  The footprints 
in question come from the Jurassic and Cretaceous.  The existence of such 
a form that late would be unlikely if such a hypothetical for was really 
rare due to rapid evolution into true theropods.  

LN Jeff
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