Deltadromeus (was RE: Size of *Neoceratodus africanus* and/or *N. tuberculatus*)

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

> From: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu] 
> On Behalf Of Tim Williams
>
> Raptorial Talon <raptorialtalon@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> >, and I guess the larger noasaurs as well.
> > 
> > All are generally medium to large (20-50 ft) predators with no such 
> > profound specializations as spinosaurs, indicating - again, 
> obviously 
> > - that something weird was going on with the latter.
> 
> 
> It's interesting you should mention the "larger noasaurs", 
> because the very large _Deltadromeus_ (which has been 
> regarded as a noasaur) might also have been somewhat "weird" 
> - although this would be a different kind of "weirdness" to 
> spinosaurids.  

Carrano & Sampson (2008. The Phylogeny of Ceratosauria (Dinosauria:
Theropoda). JSysPaleo 6:183-236) found Deltadromeus to be a basal ceratosaur
rather than a noasaurid. If so, we would not expect it to to have any
particularly Masiakasaurus-like skull features.

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Email: tholtz@umd.edu   Phone: 301-405-4084
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Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Dept. of Geology, University of Maryland
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