dromaeosaurids

I’ve previously been guilty of comparing this ‘enlarged’ claw with the raised sickle-claw seen in dromaeosaurids and other Cretaceous theropods, but what we have in phorusrhacids and seriemas clearly isn’t as elaborate, so there’s no indication that they used it to slash open the bellies of prey or anything like that (and here I’ll avoid the debate about the function of sickle-claws*).

Archive 2006-11-01 Darren Naish 2006

I’ve previously been guilty of comparing this ‘enlarged’ claw with the raised sickle-claw seen in dromaeosaurids and other Cretaceous theropods, but what we have in phorusrhacids and seriemas clearly isn’t as elaborate, so there’s no indication that they used it to slash open the bellies of prey or anything like that (and here I’ll avoid the debate about the function of sickle-claws*).

More on phorusrhacids: the biggest, the fastest, the mostest out-of-placest Darren Naish 2006

Sinornithosaurus, Xu et al. (1999) stated that the sternal rib facets on the sternum 'imply the presence of hinged sternocostal joints in dromaeosaurids, which is not concordant with recent argyments about the ribcage-pectoral girdle complex and the respiratory pattern of theropods' (p. 263: they were referring to Ruben et al. (1997)).

ScienceBlogs Channel : Life Science 2009

Sinornithosaurus, Xu et al. (1999) stated that the sternal rib facets on the sternum 'imply the presence of hinged sternocostal joints in dromaeosaurids, which is not concordant with recent argyments about the ribcage-pectoral girdle complex and the respiratory pattern of theropods' (p. 263: they were referring to Ruben et al. (1997)).

ScienceBlogs Channel : Life Science 2009

They include specimens of duck-billed hadrosaurs, one of which still sports its toenails, horned ceratopids (three rhinoceros-like horns on the head), carnivorous tyrannosaurids and dromaeosaurids.

Did you know? Dinosaur bones in Mexico 2008

They include specimens of duck-billed hadrosaurs, one of which still sports its toenails, horned ceratopids (three rhinoceros-like horns on the head), carnivorous tyrannosaurids and dromaeosaurids.

Did you know? Dinosaur bones in Mexico 2008

Well, dromaeosaurids are more closely related to fork-tongued squamates than Cotylorhynchus is....

Life's Time Capsule: The Synapsid Gallery ART Evolved 2009

* A recent study has claimed that sickle-claws could not function as slashing or stabbing weapons, but were perhaps used instead as climbing crampons, enabling dromaeosaurids to climb the bodies of their prey.

Archive 2006-11-01 Darren Naish 2006

* A recent study has claimed that sickle-claws could not function as slashing or stabbing weapons, but were perhaps used instead as climbing crampons, enabling dromaeosaurids to climb the bodies of their prey.

More on phorusrhacids: the biggest, the fastest, the mostest out-of-placest Darren Naish 2006

In Jurassic Park, the dromaeosaurids are intellectually on par with chimpanzees.

Archive 2006-11-01 Darren Naish 2006