Dromaeosaur pectoral/shoulder girdle

["Matthew Troutman" <m_troutman@hotmail.com>]

 While on the subject I would wish to make some comments on the idea 
dromaeosaurs hung onto their prey. 
 First of all this theory ( to me at least) makes no sense. Animals that 
hold onto thrashing prey today ( lions, tigers, etc. ) have mobile 
shoulder and pectoral girdles. Dromaeosaurs lack mobile shoulder and 
pectoral girdles. When hanging onto a thrashing animals some " give " is 
needed so the forelimbs will not be ripped out of their sockets. 
Dromaeosaurs lack any" give"
 at all. Their entire shoulder girdle was immobile. It was braced by the 
interlocking coracoid and sternum, furcula, and strut-like coracoid. 
This condition is strangely like that of birds, animals that use their 
forelimbs frequently and for extremely musclary stressful times of 
flyng. Dromaeosaurs also had bird-like forelimb muscles. The presense of 
a furcula shows dromaeosaurs had a pectoralis muscle, the muscle that 
gives the power stroke in flight. The enlarged sternum shows dromaeosaur 
had large muscles in tha region ( possibly a site for supracoracoideus 
muscle.) If dromaeosaurs were small enough it is possible they could 
fly. If dromaeosaurs did move  their  forelimbs in a flapping motion it 
may possible they slashed their prey with their forelimbs. Again I find 
this unlikely since there is no claw in this world adapted for slashing, 
even the famous "killing claw " of dromaeosaurs. From this evidence I 
find it unlikely that dromaeosaurs did anything that they were percieved 
from the beginning as doing ( slashing, hanging onto thrashing prey.) A 
new way of percieving dromaeosaurs most be made. One where dromaeosaurs 
were using their forelimbs in a bird-like manner.
   WMattTroutman

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