Re: Fastovsky vs Archibald

[Phil Bigelow <bigelowp@juno.com>]

> 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"?


Teeth of one, possibly two, dromaeosaur-like theropod(s) are found in the
Hell Creek Fm., (latest Cretaceous).  I have heard rumors of Hell Creek
skeletons ready to be published, but they are only rumors (and the rumors
are over 5 years old).

At least one of the two Hell Cr. tooth morphotypes was from a medium
size, definitely *not* small, critter (at least for a dromie).  Based
only on the size of the teeth, I'd guess that the adults of these animals
probably had the mass of a Great Dane or of a Saint Bernard.  They
probably competed for food with baby and small juvie T. rexes.

see:  http://www.scn.org/~bh162/gallery.html

and scroll down to the photos of the juvie T. rex tooth and the big
dromie tooth.  BTW, that particular specimen is not even close to the
largest example that I have seen.........[dramatic pregnant pause].......

FWIW:  Troodontids were also definitely present in the Hell Creek Fm.
(from teeth).  The earliest reports I have found are in _The Dinosauria
#1_.  Our own Frank Bliss has found undisputed troodontid teeth on his
"dinosaur ranch".  Ask him to e-mail you a pic.

Back to K-T dromies.  Note that I deftly avoided answering your specific
question.  ;-).   Fastovsky et. al. found dromaeosaur-like teeth within a
few meters of the K-T boundary.  However, there are some caveats in
drawing any elaborate conclusions from that fact (see my earlier post on
this subject).

Dromaeosauroids (dromaeosaurids?) ranged *at least* very close to the K-T
boundary.  Whether they actually saw the big bang is much more
speculative.  If I were a betting man I'd bet that they made it all the
way to the finale.

<pb>
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