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Re: Fastovsky vs Archibald



TooTs (DragonsClaw@gmx.net) wrote:

<I would like to ask a question concerning this:
 Dromaeosaurus albertensis for example is "timed" late Campanian - late
Maastrichtian. Would that allow to infer that dromaeosaurids were around until
the end of the Mesozoic? Or would it be more "safe" to say something in the way
of "it is likely that they were around until the end of the Mesozoic"?>

  I would refer first to Mickey's annotated list of dromaeosaurs (or perceived
dromaeosaurs) with specimens and provenance and (based on paper referrence)
ages. He tries to keep all citations current, so this data is fairly
referencable:

  http://students.washington.edu/eoraptor/Dromaeosaurs.htm#Dromaeosauridae

  "Dromaeosauridae" is known in Maastrichtian beds in Europe and in general
teeth in Maastrichtian beds referred to Dromaeosauridae in North America. But
then, these are usually "velociraptorine" teeth and as should become soon
apparent, these don't refer to a single stabel taxon, but an adaptable tooth
morphotype prone to convergence.

  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)

"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the 
experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to 
do so." --- Douglas Adams


                
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