Re: Greg Paul's phytodinosauria gone?

[Dinogeorge@aol.com]

In a message dated 11/9/99 2:10:59 AM EST, eamalitz@hotmail.com writes:

<< So if I get it right Greg Paul has finally sunk his despicable late 
 surviving prosauropod hypothesis. I thought that was the one blemish amidst 
 his otherwise very distinguished contributions to dinosaurology. It is also 
 a pity that the Therizinosaurs did not figure in the Predatory Dinosaurs of 
 the World. >>

Greg Paul gave it up much earlier than I did. But Phytodinosauria is still 
the best way to organize the herbivorous dinosaurs; ornithischians are most 
closely related to and probably descended from very basal sauropodomorphs, as 
shown by tooth shape, digital formulae, and various other cranial and 
postcranial features. Big problem is that we don't have enough remains of 
early ornithischians to make the link more solid. Segnosaurs could have 
helped join the groups; they had many of the right anatomical features, but 
these must now be considered homoplasies.