Re: Gargantuavis a bird, not a pterosaur

[Jason Brougham <jaseb@amnh.org>]

Yeah, Augusto, distortion is an important point.

Jaime, have you looked at the two figures, of Nothronychus and Gargantuavis, 
here?:

http://web.me.com/jasonbrougham/Site/Blog/Entries/2011/7/4_Gargantuavis_vs._Nothronychus.html

I don't see the differences in the lacunae that you describe, it seems more a 
matter of degree. Also the ilia seem to be clearly facing dorsally. 

On Jul 5, 2011, at 2:26 PM, Augusto Haro wrote:

> 2011/7/5 Jaime Headden <qi_leong@hotmail.com>:
>> 
>> 
>> 5, The ilia face dorsal in *Gargantuavis philoinos* as they do in virtually 
>> all ornithothoracean birds, and in *Avimimus portentosus*; this face is such 
>> that the entire lateral face of ilium when viewed from above is visible. In 
>> therizinosauroids, this is true only for the preacetabular ala, but not 
>> anywhere posterior to above the acetabulum, and this is particularly notable 
>> because the preacetabular ala in therizinosauroids resemble strongly the 
>> condition of graviportal mammals is being deep, thick, and laterall 
>> deflected (so that the lateral face is also viewable from the poaterior as 
>> well as the dorsal). This doesn't happen in any oviraptorosaur or bird 
>> [qualifier: that I know of].
>> 
> Can it be ruled out that deformation generated the observed pattern in
> Gargantuavis?

Jason Brougham
Senior Principal Preparator
American Museum of Natural History
jaseb@amnh.org
(212) 496 3544