Re: Wading _Caudipteryx_?

["T. Mike Keesey" <tkeese1@gl.umbc.edu>]

On Tue, 30 Jun 1998, Steve Gatesy wrote:

> On Mon, 29 Jun 1998 T. Mike Keesey wrote:
> 
> >Whenever anyone sees a long-legged theropod, it seems the first thing they
> >think is "sprinter". However, long legs have evolved several times among
> >Theropoda (Neornithes, at least) for a very different purpose -- striding
> >through water and mud.
> 
> Although the legs of Caudipteryx appear to be long, the proportions of
> their main elements are not at all like those of modern wading birds, which
> have a very small femur and long tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus.
*All* birds have short femurs compared to non-avian dinosaurs, don't they?
Maybe the wading idea is wrong, but if so, I don't think it's because
of this.

If only there were some other group of long-legged waders to compare
_Caudipteryx_ to...

--T. Mike Keesey                                   <tkeese1@gl.umbc.edu>
DINOSAUR WEB PAGES -- http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~tkeese1/dinosaur/index.htm