Status of _Dromaeosaurus_ (was RE: Status of _Utahraptor_?)

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> Danvarner@aol.com
>
> In a message dated 2/1/01 1:35:49 PM Pacific Standard Time,
> Dinogeorge@aol.com writes:
>
> << Almost all the
>  theropods everyone has been calling "dromaeosaurids" probably
> aren't; they
>  should be referred to as "velociraptorids" instead (with
> Velociraptorinae
>  raised to family level as Velociraptoridae). Dromaeosaurus is
> represented by
>  a single specimen that is mainly a few skull and mandible bones
> with teeth,

The original description also includes a discussion of various foot elements
found with the skull: these have never been illustrated, if memory serves.
(My copy of the the Matthew & Brown paper is a xerox of a copy from the Yale
Vert. Paleo. library, which has notes in Ostrom's handwriting indicating the
identity of the foot bones described: because no one had a good idea of a
dromaeosaurid foot back in 1922, Matthew & Brown weren't entirely certain
which bones were which).

>  and these are quite different from comparable elements of velociraptorid
>  theropods such as Deinonychus and Velociraptor. >>
>
>      What is the status of the "dromaeosaurid" with the short,
> bulldog-like
> face (from Alberta, I think)? Has it been published yet? DV.

I don't think it has.  Note that there is a robust _Dromaeosaurus_-like
skull from Ukhaa Tolgod on display at the Fightin' Dinosaurs exhibit at the
AMNH; I have no idea when Norell & crew will get around to describing that
specimen.  This may go some way in determining if _Dromaeosaurus_ is indeed
closer to velociraptorines than to some other theropod taxon.

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
                College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/tholtz.htm
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
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