Re: Looking for Refs on Herbiviorous Theropods

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

Mike Taylor (mike@indexdata.com) wrote:

<It seems to be received wisdom that at least some ornithomimosaurs and
therizinosaurs were herbivorous, or at least omnivorous.  I believe I have
also seen this said of oviraptorosaurs, though less frequently. Have any
other theropod groups been seriously proposed as non-carnivores?>

  Troodontids have been described as omnivores in the literature and in
Holtz et al. (2000) [from the GAIA 15 volume] the teeth serated coarseness
is interpreted as a possible herbivorous feature: this is true for North
American troodontids moreso than for Asian forms, but is significant
nonetheless.

  In the original publications for "Jeholornis" and "Jixiangornis" (both
of which appear to be variations on *Shenzhouraptor* or VERY close
species), the presence of seeds in the belly provide that these were
herbivores to a great extent or at least to the moment they died. Eoraptor
has been applied as possibly omnivorous because of the heterodonty in its
teeth as in basal prosauropods, which only begs that some prosauropods
have been suggested to have taken meat. This is not really in the
references ... yet.

  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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