Re: Epidexipteryx

[Nick Gardner <nick.gardner@gmail.com>]

Apparently, this was the conclusion of one of the presenters at SVP,
so perhaps there'll be a paper soon affirming this.

Cheers,
Nick Gardner
http://whyihatetheropods.blogspot.com

On Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 12:59 AM, T. Michael Keesey wrote:
> On Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 7:02 PM, Tim Williams
>  wrote:
>>
>> Definitely.  What's more, there's an impressive array of small (and 
>> not-so-small) insectivorous, herbivorous, and omnivorous maniraptorans close 
>> to the origin of birds: alvarezsaurs, therizinosaurs, oviraptorosaurs 
>> (including _Incisivosaurus_ & _Protarchaeopteryx_), scansoriopterygids, 
>> possibly troodontids...  Among non-avian maniraptorans, the hypercarnivorous 
>> dromaeosaurids are starting to look like the exception, not the rule.
>
> Or just among maniraptorans in general. Not many avians are
> hypercarnivorous, either. And the sister group group of maniraptorans,
> _Ornithomimosauria_, was also noncarnivorous, so it's more or less a
> maniraptoriform trend.
>
> Never thought of that -- the feathered clade is just a little bit
> larger than the multi-dieted clade.
>
> --
> T. Michael Keesey
> Technical Consultant and Developer, Internet Technologies
> Glendale, California
>