Re: A therizinosauroid dinosaur with integumentary structures fromChina

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

At 11:14 PM 5/26/99 EDT, Dinogeorge wrote:

>Interesting indeed. But my analysis is rather different, of course. 
>Integumentary filaments, sometimes accompanied by osteoderms, are >primitive 
>for dinosaurs< (not just some advanced subgroup of theropods), and their 
>"broad distribution" in Dinosauria (not just Theropoda) accounts for their 
>appearance in those phytodinosaurian segnosaurs.

George, I think you will find this paper VERY interesting.  Among other
things, _Beipiaosaurus_ has a tridactyl pes with a reduced metatasal I
(which is tapered and does not contact the tarsus).  Mt V is just a
strap-like splint.

The ilium is more similar to oviraptorosaurs in shape to oviraptorosaurs
than derived therizinosauroids.  What exists of the skull shows that it is
large for a therizinosauroid (for example, the dentary is 65% of the femur
length).

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