Nope, just 2 fingers (was RE: 3 fingered T. rex?)

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

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> Dino Guy Ralph
>
> One of the news stories at www.dinosaurnews.org discusses "Peck's rex,"
> which is said to have many interesting details, including a furcula and a
> 3rd metacarpal.  Freelance dinosaur buff Thomas Hoelmer states: "Every _T.
> rex_ picture or skeleton that doesn't have the third finger is wrong."
> !!!!!
>
> A cast of the skeleton is being unveiled this weekend at the Fort Peck Dam
> Interpretive Center and Museum in Fort Peck, Montana.  For
> information about
> Peck's Rex (TM), see
> http://www.pecksrex.com/aboutpecksrex.html
>

Please note: there is NO third finger (as in digit). There is only a third
metacarpal. The nice thing about this, and similar unreported specimens, is
that the McIII of T. rex is distinctive in morphology compared to other
tyrannosaurid McIII's.  So aspects of the T. rex McIII represents a set of
potential autapomorphies by which future specimens (including putative
juvenile T. rex specimens) might be evaluated.

Hope this helps,

                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