Re: gender

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

> Absolutely not. We don't know anything about tyrannosaur behaviour, they
> could have been generally nasty to one another regardless of sex, the
> males could have bitten females during rough courtship (as in modern
> sharks) or the tooth could have lodged there during scavenging after Sue's
> death. The best osteological correlate of sex that we have appears to be
> the proximal chevron character, which suggests that Sue is indeed female
> and that intraspecific combat was not the exclusive domain of males.

      The proximal chevron character is an unpublished suggestion Larson
made before Sue was confiscated; I am looking forward to seeing if
subsequent preparation and study bears it out.  The only intensive work
I am aware of relating to sexing theropods is gracile-robust dimorphism
studies of the Ghost Ranch Coelophysis and African Syntarsus specimens,
both of which have fairly significant sample sizes, and Kenneth
Carpenter's paper describing apparant gracile-robust dimorphism in T.rex,
which included ischia in the robust morph is inclined more anteriorly,
suggesting it may have provided greater passage for eggs.  All three of
these studies are in DINOSAUR SYSTEMATCIS, if there have been any more
up-to-date studies on theropod sexual dimorphism I am unaware of them.  

LN Jeff
O-