Re: BIRDY _ARCHAEOPTERYX_

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <th81@umail.umd.edu>]

At 01:11 PM 11/7/98 -0000, John Jackson wrote:

>>"Could be anything"!  I think that the teeth are described as
>>maniraptoriform in character.  Padian also described some Morrison
>>maniraptorans or maniraptoriforms.
>
>Padian also said Archae did not display any particularly arboreal
>adaptations.  He also said that the mechanically totally unsuited
>maniraptoran hand was designed to give "killer blows" (rather than for
>hooking and pulling).  I think I'll take his opinion on an animal for which
>he has only the teeth with a pinch of salt.

A) Hooking and pulling is EXACTLY the type of "killing blow" proposed for
the maniraptoriform hand by Gauthier & Padian: please read the paper.  It
has nothing to do with bear-like power slaps: it is simply a method to
rapidly acquire the prey so that other parts (jaws, foot claws, etc.) can
dispatch the prey.

B) Sorry, the material that Jensen and Padian describe is quite clearly
maniraptoran.

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Vertebrate Paleontologist     Webpage: http://www.geol.umd.edu
Dept. of Geology              Email:tholtz@geol.umd.edu
University of Maryland        Phone:301-405-4084
College Park, MD  20742       Fax:  301-314-9661