Re: SVP DINO-PRESENTATIONS REVIEW (*VERY* LONG)

[Stanley Friesen <sarima@ix.netcom.com>]

Wow!

At 10:00 PM 10/11/97 -0400, Tetanurae@aol.com wrote:
>
>HOLTZ presented a preliminary phylogeny of the Tyrannosauridae. 
>..., then _Nanotyrannus_,
>_Maleevosaurus_, leeding to an unresolved trichotomy between 
>_Tyrannosaurus rex, _bataar_, and _efromovi_. ...
>
>BAKKER presented ... (a tongue-in-cheek refutation of
>_Nanotyrannus_ being sunk into _Tyrannosaurus_).  ...

Alright, I am getting confused!

Is _Nanotyrannus_ a juvenile or not!?!?!?
>
>WITMER et SAMPSON investigate dinosaurs that had unusually large 
>external
>nares, such as macronarian sauropods, hadrosaurines and ceratopids 
>...  While the study is still in its
>preliminary stages, there is some evidence to suggest that 
>macronarians might have had some sort of erectile tissue display
>device similar to that seen in male gharials.

I seem to remember hearing a similar suggestion vis-a-vis hadrosaurines
some years ago.  It sounded good then.

>ZHOU describes some birds from Liaoning and supports the basal bird 
>dichotemy Sauriurae + Ornithurae.  _Confuciusornis_ has a long 
>ungual claw on manual digit I and is claimed to retain a jugal-
>postorbital bar.  ...
>
>Lastly, CURRIE gave an impromptu talk on _Sinosauropteryx_ yesterday
>afternoon with the title "_Sinosauropteryx_: proto-feathers or 
>quill?"  He confirms many details of the creatures anatomy, for 
>instance it had a three fingered manus, with a very long ungual claw
>on manual digit I,

Intersting.  Two animals near the origin of birds with long ungual claws on
digit I.   I wonder what this means.

Could this be an arboreal adaptation?  It seems like it could be useful in
a bipedal climber (as in juvenile hoatzin).

> He demonstrated that the structures are not in the dorsal midline, 
>the are soft and pliable, and they are not imbedded within the skin.  
>The covering is apperently not of uniform thickness, and forms a 
>'corona' around the specimen similar to that seen in 
>_Confusciusornis_ found in the same area.  He also confirms that the 
>structures are indeed hollow and seem to suggest a clumping, then 
>branching structure by way of camera lucida diagrams.

Gack.  Back to being proto-feathers again (at last to my ears)!

This matter looks like it is going to take some time to resolve!

How solid are his conclusions?

--------------
May the peace of God be with you.         sarima@ix.netcom.com
                                          sfriesen@netlock.com