Comments on: Gigantoraptor! http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/06/13/gigantoraptor/ The institutionalized doodles and discoveries of a dead-animal designer. Thu, 20 Oct 2011 21:55:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Matt Celeskey http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/06/13/gigantoraptor/comment-page-1/#comment-10835 Matt Celeskey Fri, 15 Jun 2007 04:21:32 +0000 http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/06/13/gigantoraptor/#comment-10835 Thanks <i>Laelaps</i> (and excellent <a href="http://laelaps.wordpress.com/2007/06/14/more-thoughts-on-gigantoraptor/" rel="nofollow">followup post</a> as well). I particularly like the way you've analyzed how this story has been reported in various outlets. I can't claim any familiarity with the Iren Dabasu fauna--everything I've written comes right out of the paper and its supplemental materials. Zach raises a very interesting question, I think. In the Late Cretaceous of Asia you find members of different theropod groups reach gigantic size, with long arms and claws that would make Freddy Krueger feel inadequate. Was there some common selective pressure that allowed <i>Gigantoraptor, Therizinosaurus</i>, and <i>Deinocheirus</i> to converge upon the ultimate "Big Bird" bauplan? Exploitation of a similar food supply, defense against a common predator-type, symbiosis with some undiscovered proto-Snuffleupagus? Or did they independently achieve heavyweight status based on factors unique to each species' time, habitat, and/or evolutionary history? Thanks Laelaps (and excellent followup post as well). I particularly like the way you’ve analyzed how this story has been reported in various outlets. I can’t claim any familiarity with the Iren Dabasu fauna–everything I’ve written comes right out of the paper and its supplemental materials.

Zach raises a very interesting question, I think. In the Late Cretaceous of Asia you find members of different theropod groups reach gigantic size, with long arms and claws that would make Freddy Krueger feel inadequate. Was there some common selective pressure that allowed Gigantoraptor, Therizinosaurus, and Deinocheirus to converge upon the ultimate “Big Bird” bauplan? Exploitation of a similar food supply, defense against a common predator-type, symbiosis with some undiscovered proto-Snuffleupagus?

Or did they independently achieve heavyweight status based on factors unique to each species’ time, habitat, and/or evolutionary history?

]]> By: Zach Miller http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/06/13/gigantoraptor/comment-page-1/#comment-10833 Zach Miller Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:38:59 +0000 http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/06/13/gigantoraptor/#comment-10833 One wonders what implications the arms of Gigantoraptor have for Therizinosaurus and Deinocheirus. One wonders what implications the arms of Gigantoraptor have for Therizinosaurus and Deinocheirus.

]]> By: Laelaps http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/06/13/gigantoraptor/comment-page-1/#comment-10831 Laelaps Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:04:42 +0000 http://www.hmnh.org/archives/2007/06/13/gigantoraptor/#comment-10831 Thanks for the link! You certainly have a more complete understanding of dinosaurs from this area than I do, but I'm hoping to write up another post about this new dino today (since I finally got to read the Nature paper and Supplementary Materials). Thanks for the link! You certainly have a more complete understanding of dinosaurs from this area than I do, but I’m hoping to write up another post about this new dino today (since I finally got to read the Nature paper and Supplementary Materials).

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