Re: Shuvuuia

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

Mark Van Tomme (markvantomme@yahoo.com) wrote:

<It seems that that skull is actually a troodontid one on the progress of
description and will be published in a AMNH bulletin with some other
troodontids,including some chinese ones that are part of the clade.>

  The skull in question is currently on display near the block of an
undescribed troodontid skeleton from Ukhaa Tolgod. This skull has white
bone and reddish/brown matrix, so likely derives from the Djadokhta-type
beds. There are several morphological features, however, that indicate
that it IS an alvarezsaur, including absence of an ascending process of
the jugal, a feature of the "prefrontal/lachrymal" that projects into the
orbit, extremely minute and high-crowned teeth, no "crowding" of teeth at
the rostral end of the jaw (they all appear to be evenly distributed along
the jaw), no lateral dentary groove for the dental nutrient foramina, and
a strongly curved posterior margin of the quadrate, which all occur in
*Shuvuuia.* These features make it likely that this skull IS an
alvarezsaurid.

  However, Suzuki et al., in a publication describing a juvenile/sub-adult
skeleton/skull, list the most current census of *Shuvuuia* skeletons,
including multiple specimens with skulls. I have sent this paper to Mark
and Gera offlist.

  Cheers,

=====
Jaime A. Headden

  Little steps are often the hardest to take.  We are too used to making leaps 
in the face of adversity, that a simple skip is so hard to do.  We should all 
learn to walk soft, walk small, see the world around us rather than zoom by it.

"Innocent, unbiased observation is a myth." --- P.B. Medawar (1969)


        
                
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