The Relation Between Birds and Dinosaurs
One question that has stumped many paleontologists for centuries is, “Are birds dinosaurs?” Paleontologists have argued back and forth trying to prove or disprove each side of the theory. So far, advocates have supported their side through the facts of similar bone structures, bone organization, and the idea that dinosaurs had feathers. A common reaction that some people might have about the question is that there is no connection between the two species. Their main reasoning for this conclusion is based on the belief that the two do not have any similar characteristics. I too believed that there was no correlation between the two animals. However, after extensive research, I have completely changed my mind. I believe that birds are dinosaurs because they have similar bone structures, and they both possess feathers.
Bones are the major supporting facts which prove that birds are dinosaurs. Wishbones and swiveling wristbones are common bones shared between birds and dinosaurs. The discovery of dinosaur bones tells paleontologists what type of dinosaur it is. The arrangement of the bones also hints towards activities the dinosaur may have participated in. Chinese and American paleontologists located a dinosaur that was situated in a curled up position, similar to a sleeping duck’s pose. Mark Norell, Chairman of the Division of Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, states, “Not only are troodontids, [cousins of the tyrannosaurs], very closely related to birds, but this particular one is in a stereotypical resting pose of birds” (Lemmonick par. 7). This dinosaur was discovered perched on its back legs, forelimbs at its side, head buried under its left el...
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...at some dinosaur species had hollow bones, which is a distinguishing characteristic of birds. My final reason for believing that birds are dinosaurs is because dinosaurs also had feathers during some part of their life span. Feathers are the distinguishing factors that make birds, well…birds.
Works Cited
Chatterjee, Sankar. The Rise of Birds. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 1997.
Czerkas, Sylvia J., Stephen A. Czerkas. Dinosaurs: A Global View. Spain: Dragon’s World
Ltd., 1990.
Lemonick, Michael D. “Dinosaur Tales: Did Today’s Birds Really Evolve from Dinosaurs?
Two Spectacular Discoveries Make the Case Even Stronger.” Time 25 Oct. 2004. 74.
Online. InfoTrac. 30 Oct. 2004 usouthal.edu/itw/infomark/512/617/56749422w2/purl=rc1_ITOF_0_A123294111& dyn=32!xrn_1_0_A123294111?sw_aepnaal _usam>.
Ceratopsians and Pachycephalosaurs are closely related in their characteristics. Ceratopsians processed a saddle-shaped boney frill that extended from the skull to the neck and typically had horns over the nose and eyes. The most popular was the triceratops, which could reach over 26 feet and weigh in excess of twelve metric tons. Their frills served as two major functions. It protected the vulnerable neck from being harmed. The second major function that the frill provided was due to the fact that the frill contained a network of blood vessels on its underside, which were used as a means to get rid of excess heat. The Pachycephalosaurs were considered to be bipedal. They were also found to have thick skulls, flattened bodies, and tail that were covered in an array of body rods. Pachycephalosaurs were thought to have been more than fifteen feet long and processed a skull that was surrounded by a rounded dome of solid bone. It was thought that they used their heads in combat or mating contests, but that was disproved fairly recently, which I will discuss later in the paper. Both Ceratopsians and Pachycephalosaurs were “bird-hipped” and both of these suborders contained a backwards pubic bone. Both were Marginocephilia, or “fringed heads”, which is one of three clads under the Orinthiscia order. They were also herbivore dinosaurs that inherited their fringe at the back of the skull from earlier ancestors.(2) Their classi...
Paul, Gregory S. (2002). "Looking for the True Bird Ancestor". Dinosaurs of the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 171–224. ISBN 0-8018-6763-0.
...ories of why dinosaurs went extinct abound, and as there is no theory yet to be truly confirmed as the “right one”, my theory of dinosaur cannibalism is also purely anecdotal. The discovery of the cannibalistic Majungatholus atopus in Madagascar is an important scientific find because it confirms a long-standing theory of cannibalism among certain carnivorous dinosaurs. Behavioral patterns of extinct animals are difficult to establish; however, these bones give authentication to previous unfounded beliefs about the ancient feeding practices of some dinosaurs.
Jurassic Park is the story of how one man’s idea puts many lives in danger. With lots of experimentation, scientists who worked for him were able to extract blood from prehistoric mosquitoes and other biting insects caught in amber then examine it for foreign blood cells. After that, they would extract them. Doing that, they could obtain DNA of extinct animals; dinosaurs who have been extinct for millions of years. Through a long process, they could recreate dinosaurs. Jurassic Park is a book full of suspense and horrifying murders. I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone, but just people who enjoy science fiction and suspense. I also recommend not read Dennis Nedry’s death multiple times because it’s gross and...just gross. But other than that, I would give this five dinosaurs out of five dinosaurs!
Dinosaurs were first believed to be cold-blooded because they were thought to be related closely to reptiles which are cold-blooded creatures. Cold-blooded animals don’t actually have “cold” blood, instead they rely on the temperature from their environment to regulate their own body temperature. They do this by taking advantage of external heat by basking in the sun, and by lying in the shade to cool down. A more correct term is “ectothermic” which means “heat from outside.” On the other hand, a warm-blooded animal creates heat internally by chemical reactions inside their body. They are able to regulate their body temperature internally instead of relying on their environment. Author of the article, “Dinosaurs: Warm or Cold Blooded?” Beverly Eschberger explains, “endothermic animals have a continually high requirement for food to fuel the heat generation. Providing they can find food their constantly-optimum body temperature means that they can stay active even when it is very cold” (par 3). Even though it was believed that dinosaurs were closely related to cold-blooded reptiles, most dinosaurs had similar behaviors of a bird which is a warm blooded animal. Believing dinosaurs were warm blooded would help explain the reason why dinosaurs were so dominant and plentiful for such a long period of time. There are many other factors that play a vital role in ...
Dinosaurs are an extinct group of animals that thrived for 165 million years starting 230 million years ago in the Late Triassic period of the Mesozoic Era. Despite being extinct for the past 65 million years and not being able to study them in their true form, scientists have been able to estimate many different behaviors of dinosaurs. This paper will show that the close study and examination of different types of body and trace fossils, along with animal models, can be provided as evidence to estimate different types of behaviors in dinosaurs. The different types of behaviors examined below will fall into the categories of: mating; reproduction and nesting; social lives; locomotion; feeding; and fighting. To begin, a great deal of information gathered from fossils and compared to living animal models have been used to estimate mating behaviors.
We use dinosaurs to represent the changes in nature that have occurred throughout time. Studies found that although the “oldest rock did not show evidence of life, the progression of plant and animal life that changed in recognizable intervals, from ancient life, age of reptiles to the age of mammals” (Dino Nature Metaphor, slide 6), measured the age of the earth. When we think of dinosaurs in relation to nature, we think of that very powerful force that controls the cycle of life. Nature was able to yield such magnificent ferocious creatures that walked the earth and then take them back when they served nature’s purpose. Dinosaurs fit perfectly in nature’s constant
In December of 2000, three Chinese scientists reported the discovery of the smallest adult dinosaur ever found, a species that claims to tighten the evolutionary gap between dinosaurs and birds. The dinosaur’s specie name is Microraptor, and it is slowly restoring the integrity of a sect of paleontology that was discredited in November of 1999 after National Geographic printed a story on the discovery of a species known as Archeoraptor. The magazine “trumpeted the story as the ‘missing link’ between birds and dinosaurs,” only for the scientific world and later the public to discover that the skeletal composite built was a, “primitive bird with a dinosaurian tail glued on” (Holden).
Avianna was born to a prestigious family in the supernatural community as well as one of the first families of vampire hunters in Poland. While they may have been respected among other hunters the people of their village seen them as eccentric and did their best to keep distance between the Baran's and themselves as possible. While they didn't live in the village, favoring the solitude of the mountains over the village, when they did venture down for supplies it was obvious from the looks they received that they were all thought to be crazy. She was never given the chance to speak to the other villagers as her mother always kept her close, clinging onto her hand like something was going to swoop in and steal her away. From a very young age, her mother preached to her about never trusting anyone because they very well could be one of the monsters they had pledged their lives to hunt.
The debate of whether dinosaurs were cold blooded or warm blooded has been ongoing since the beginning of the century. At the turn of the century scientists believed that dinosaurs had long limbs and were fairly slim, supporting the idea of a cold blooded reptile. Recently, however, the bone structure, number or predators to prey, and limb position have suggested a warm blooded species. In addition, the recent discovery of a fossilized dinosaur heart has supported the idea that dinosaurs were a warm blooded species. In this essay, I am going to give supporting evidence of dinosaurs being both warm and cold blooded. I will provide background information on the dinosaur that was discovered and what information it provides scientists.
There is a strong amount of evidence in science to suggest that birds evolved from small theropod dinosaurs. To start on a common ground, natural selection must be understood. This is the process by which genetic mutations that enhances reproduction become and repeat more often in later generations (adapting them), eventually leading to evolutionary change. Since animals produce too many offspring, competition in the environment levels things out, creating a change in generations through favoring of traits. For this case, there were tons of dinosaurs of all different shapes, sizes, and colors living on the earth. In particular, there was one group that stood out among the rest, evolving throughout time, and surviving to the present. Theropod (meaning “beast-footed”) dinosaurs are a diverse group of bipedal (two-footed) dinosaurs with grasping hands and clawed digits. By looking at things like bone structures over time, fossil records, ________, embryology and ethology evidence, it is easy to see why it is commonly known that birds are the closest common ancestors of dinosaurs....
Marginocephalia were known for margin along the back of their skull that resembled a dome shaped head. In was narrow in the front and wider and lift in the back of the skull. They have a small pubic but wider hips. They had frills and possibly some horns on the top of their head. This species of dinosaur had some issues with movement and coordination. In the same species of dinosaur, the horns on Marginocephalia varied in different sizes from small, medium to large. But also as the dinosaur got bigger their horns shrunk and curved backwards.
...pdated 1995, accessed 3 Sept. 2000), Dino Buzz – What killed The Dinosaurs ? – Current Arguments,
Although not one of the most well-known surrealist painters of the XX century, Remedios Varo deserves a place among the greatest of them. In this piece of 1957, The Creation of Birds, she brings to the viewer a multilayered image, where, discussing the creative process, she reveals the skill and genius that make her work remarkable and meaningful to this day.
Dinosaurs are creatures that seem to fascinate humans, since all we have left are their fossils. Although, through art, their bodies can be put back together and we have a better sense of what they looked like. The problem with art is that pictures can sometimes be disproportionate, unrealistic, or even made up. Young children who learn about dinosaurs may think that they are actually different colors and can talk for example. This is why it is important to make dinosaur art as realistic as possible and more informative.