La singular garra de los terópodos dromeosáuridos ha llamado la atención a los investigadores, se la relacionado con un papel activo en la predación. Los estudios modernos con modelos robóticos empienzan a plantear otras explicaciones como sucede en este caso.
La referencia es: Manning, P. L., Payne, D., Pennicott, J., Barrett, P. M. & Ennos, R. A. 2006. Dinosaur killer claws or climbing crampons? Biology letters, 2, 1, 110-112.
El resumen del trabajo es: Dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaurs possess a strongly recurved, hypertrophied and hyperextensible ungual claw on pedal digit II. This feature is usually suggested to have functioned as a device for disembowelling herbivorous dinosaurs during predation. However, modelling of dromaeosaurid hindlimb function using a robotic model and comparison of pedal ungual morphology with extant analogue taxa both indicate that this distinctive claw did not function as a slashing weapon, but may have acted as an aid to prey capture.
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