On 10/10/2011 3:23 AM, Tim Williams wrote:
The idea that these herbivores targeted the starchy pith of cycads is intuitively attractive, but the cycads (and similar gymnopserms) were in steep decline during the time when therizinosaurs were diversifying (later Cretaceous).
The cycads that I have dealt with are not easy pickings, and I would consider it MUCH easier to dig into the earth or rotten tree trunks. Did have Mesozoic cycads have a noticeably softer shell than (e.g.) Sago Palms?