RE: SVPCA 50, REPORT IV

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

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> HPB1956@aol.com
>
> Regarding the claim of Norell et al that ornithomimids were
> filter-feeding
> Nick Longrich pleaded for ornithomimids beeing herbivorous.
>
> What about the reported skull of a young dromaeosaur found inside
> the nest of
> an oviraptor (National Geographic July 1996)? Doesn't this plus Nick
> Longrich's remarks indicate that ornithomimids were omnivorous?

No, in so far as oviraptorosaurs are not ornithomimosaurs! (It does,
however, argue that at least some *oviraptorosaurs* were not strict
herbivores!!  Of course, given that the type of Oviraptor itself had a
lizard in its body cavity, there was already evidence towards that end...).

Incidentally, the juvenile "dromaeosaurs" are now thought to be from the
troodontid Byronosaurus.

                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
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796