The connection between the therizinosaurids and other theropods was made clear when primitive members of the group, such as "Beipiaosaurus" (1999) and "Falcarius" (2005) were discovered. The scientists who described "Falcarius" noted that it seemed to represent an intermediate stage between carnivorous and herbivorous theropods, a sort of "missing link" between predatory maniraptorans and plant-eating therizinosaurs. 