The relationships of therizinosaurs were quite complicated when the first members were discovered. As an example, the first known therizinosaur taxon, "Therizinosaurus", was interpreted to represent turtle-like animals that used the elongated claws to feed on seaweed. However, in 1970, Rozhdestvensky proposed the idea that therizinosaurs (then known as segnosaurs) instead of being non-dinosaur creatures, they were in fact, theropods. Later, in 1980, segnosaurs were thought to be slow, semiaquatic animals, with this, Gregory S. Paul claimed that these controversial animals had no theropod characteristics and they were prosauropods with ornithischian adaptations, also, they shared evolutionary relationships. However, with the description of more genera such as "Alxasaurus", "Nanshiungosaurus", and the redescription of the skull of "Erlikosaurus", more theropod evidence began to be supported. With the discovery and description of the feathered "Beipiaosaurus", therizinosaurs were utterly recognized as theropods, and started to be reconstructed in an accurate, bipedal posture.