Re: Giant carnivorous geese

["Mickey Mortimer" <Mickey_Mortimer111@msn.com>]

Nick Longrich wrote-

> Have they found any in unambiguous carnivores? I know they're seen
> in coelurosaurs like ornithomimids and Caudipteryx, but both of these
> guys look like herbivores to me- ornithomimids being really similar to
> ostriches, rheas and emus in a lot of respects, not to mention far and
> away more abundant than any of the other, unquestionably carnivorous
> theropods, and Caudipteryx is a relative of Oviraptorosauria which
> themselves are pretty likely to turn out to be herbivores or omnivores
> for a number of different reasons (for one thing, they are pretty
> abundant compared to other theropods in Mongolia).

First, I recall hearing that a lepidosauromorph skeleton was found inside an
oviraptorid, perhaps the Oviraptor holotype.  Can't recall the source at the
moment.
As for carnovorous theropods with gastroliths, Coelophysis rhodesiensis
(Matora pers. comm. to Whittle and Everhart 1989), Lourinhanosaurus and
Poekilopleuron have been found with them.

Mickey Mortimer