Re: Balaur bondac, the double-bladed dromaeosaurid of Transylvania!

[Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>]

On Tue, Aug 31st, 2010 at 12:39 PM, Augusto Haro <augustoharo@gmail.com> wrote:

> Does not this make it more likely that the large digit II talon did
> not sliced? At least not for this dino...

It's unlikely that any dromaeosaur claws were used to 'slice'. Tearing or 
puncturing are more likely 
uses for any sort of claw. Slicing requires a sharpened edge, whereas keratin 
doesn't hold an edge 
very well (although it can form a sharp point).

How many Balaur feet have been recovered, I wonder? It'd be an immense stroke 
of bad luck if 
the only known pedal remains just happened to come from a polydactyl anomaly.

-- 
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Dann Pigdon
Spatial Data Analyst               Australian Dinosaurs
Melbourne, Australia               http://home.alphalink.com.au/~dannj
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