RE: Nigersaurus and the beaks

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Sebastian Apesteguia wrote:

> Yes,
> as Mike says, Bonitasaura also had a keratinooous
> sheath that covered the cheeks (Jeff does not
> necessarily agree with this). We can or not consider
> this as a beak? Not sure, but it was a ramphoteca
> anyway. 

As Sebastian explains in the paper, the rhamphotheca would have sheathed the 
"guillotine-like" mandibular crest.  Incipient guillotines could have been 
present in _Antarctosaurus_ and _Rapetosaurus_ as well.  _Antarctosaurus_ also 
had the wide, flaring snout of _Bonitasaura_ - which is why some authors 
thought that _Antarctosaurus_ was a chimera, with the diplodocoid-like lower 
jaw and the titanosaur-like braincase each coming from a different sauropod.

Cheers

Tim
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