tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3248412803814730250.post5115580916754494252..comments2024-03-17T01:48:59.504-07:00Comments on The Theropod Database Blog: It's amazing how young most theropod specimens areMickey Mortimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08831823442911513851noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3248412803814730250.post-55951421725553319022012-01-17T12:54:59.887-08:002012-01-17T12:54:59.887-08:00You're quite right about sexual maturity being...You're quite right about sexual maturity being a different matter. The largest Sinosauropteryx individual contains two eggs after all, but has the various skeletal indications of immaturity I noted as well as juvenile bone texture. Since sexual maturity is extremely difficult to determine in fossils (there's the nesting specimens and the specimens with internal eggs like this one and oviraptorid NMNS-VPDINO-2002-0901, but besides that...), it doesn't seem too useful to concentrate on.Mickey Mortimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08831823442911513851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3248412803814730250.post-30222079378691047982012-01-17T12:44:11.108-08:002012-01-17T12:44:11.108-08:00One should qualify that skeletal and sexual maturi...One should qualify that skeletal and sexual maturity are not always coincidental. These animals may achieve a fully developed skeletal structure, and still be growing, while fusion occurs after adulthood (or sexual maturity) is actually attained. Of course, the size discrepancy of specimens matters.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com