Re: Archaeopteryx flight

[Dinogeorge@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/4/01 3:35:20 PM EST, dino.hunter@home.com writes:

<< In my studies of the manus (pl.) of theropods I don't see anything that 
renders the hand of tetanurines/maniraptorans any less opposible than that of 
ceratosaurs. Care to educate me? >>

You'll have to ask the late Sam Welles about the hands of Coelophysis and 
Dilophosaurus. It was he who told Tracy Ford and me that the first digit was 
opposable to the other three, whereas the first digit is not (easily) 
opposable in more derived theropods. Apparently he was studying the theropod 
manus, but he died before he could publish his results. Since his conclusions 
fit right in with BCF, I saw no reason to question them.