Arctometatarsalian
An
arctometatarsalian organism is one in which the
proximal part of the third
metatarsal is pinched between metatarsals II and IV. The trait appears to be highly
homoplastic, and appears commonly in certain sorts of
dinosaurs accustomed to running, among them the
tyrannosaurids, in order to evenly trasmit force to the metatarsals.