The early bird species, Archaeopteryx, was declared to be the first bird to exist when it was discovered in 1860 in Germany by Hermann von Meyer (Zhou, 2010). According to Zhou (2014), the Archaeopteryx lived around the late Jurassic period and had similar features to the Therapods. They shared the same tooth jaw, long tail bone, and feathers. The Archaeopteryx was an icon for the evolution of pre-historic birds to modern birds. Their similarly feathered wing structure compared to today's birds led paleontologist to believed the Archaeopteryx could fly like modern birds (Xu, 2012). The science community accepted Archaeopteryx as the first prehistoric bird, but later discoveries of other bird-like dinosaurs have put the Archaeopteryx's reputation …show more content…
Archaeopteryx status of "first bird" is withdrawn due to these pieces of evidence: the animal's questionable ability to fly, they have the similar bone density to a reptile than they do to bird and scientist are now considering the Archaeopteryx as a transition …show more content…
Nuddes and Dyke's analysis of the Archaeopteryx and Confuciusornis wing fossils concluded that their wings are too thin and weak to take flight ( 2010). According to Nuddes and Dyke, they would need to have solid primary feathers for them to be able to fly (2010). The fossils of the Archaeopteryx and Confusciusornis show rachises that are too narrow to fly. Also, their wings show the likelihood to fail by buckling if they attempt flight ( Nuddes and Dyke, 2010). Since the two species have similar wing feathers as the modern bird, the only way they could fly is if their wings serve as a parachute ( Nuddes and Dyke, 2010). In other words, they would have been gliders ( Nuddes and Dyke, 2010). Even with that theory, these birds are still weak flyers ( Nuddes and Dyke, 2010). Palaeontologist had found their fossils in lake sediments and oceans ( Nuddes and Dyke,
This experiment was designed to illustrate the process of evolution through the use of Origami Birds. It was evident at the conclusion of the experiment that Origami Birds with a smaller in circumference front wing placed 3 centimeters from the end of the straw and larger in circumference back wing placed 3 centimeters from the end of the straw flew further than the Generation 0 birds with the same circumference front and back wings. Our results also indicated that birds with their wings positioned differently than 3 centimeters from either end of the straw did not fly as far as those who were positioned at that 3 centimeter mark. Generation 0's best flyer produced a distance of 2.08 meters with a 3x20 and 3x20 wing ratio. Generation 1's best
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.
The reading states that critics have opposes the idea that Sinosauropteryx was a feathered dinosaur and the author provides three reasons of support. However, the professor explains that critics are unconvincing and refutes each of the authors' reasons.
The idea of cloning dinosaurs and other prehistoric life became popularized by the 1992 film Jurassic Park (based on Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel). Though it may have sparked new interest into the field of paleontology, it did so with deceiving inaccuracies. However, the technical fallacies of the actual dinosaurs are somewhat forgivable as it added to the film’s dramatic appeal. Velociraptor, as depicted in the film, was about the size of a grown man. In reality, velociraptor came to about the kneecap. Furthermore, velociraptor would more likely have been covered in feathers rather than the lizard-like skin portrayed in the movie. One scene shows velociraptor fogging the window of a door. This is an endothermic or warm blooded trait as it implies the dromaeosaurid’s body temperature is above the temperature of his environment. There is also no evidence of dilophosaurus bearing a neck frill, and brachiosaurus did not have the ability to chew his food in a circular motion (iguanodon was the first dinosaur to develop this technique by acquiring back molars to allow for equine or bovine-like chewing). Fortunately, tyrannosaurus remained very close to his biological authenticity, with the only paleobiological errors stemming from a lack in computer animation such as rudimentary ball and joint programs. However, the erroneous nature of the deoxyribonucle...
Of course it was the movie Jurassic Park who seemed to coin the phrase “Dino DNA.” This movie gave the public the thought that, a) it is possible to find dinosaur DNA and b) we can clone dinosaurs from this DNA. This essay is not going to pick apart Jurassic Park’s scientific value, however it will share the current knowledge and information on dinosaur DNA. The discovery of DNA is important because it may uncover different bits of information. The idea of cloning dinosaurs, especially at this point is out of the question. It is really hard to clone living animals today, with full DNA and genome strands, we can’t even think about recreating animals millions of years ago.
The species A. afarensis is one of the better known australopithecines, with regards to the number of samples attributed to the species. From speculations about their close relatives, the gorilla and chimpanzee, A. afarensis’ probable social structure can be presumed. The species was named by Johanson and Taieb in 1973. This discovery of a skeleton lead to a heated debate over the validity of the species. The species eventually was accepted by most researchers as a new species of australopithecine and a likely candidate for a human ancestor.
mother in the late 19th century. The bird is described as speaking a common language and
Thanks to evolution, Penguins have evolved into a group of aquatic, fightless birds, that are highly adapted to life in the ocean. This not only makes them one of the divergent and strange species of birds, but also has allowed them to become such a sucessful species. Penguins are mostly located in the Southern hemisphere ranging anywhere from the Galapogos to the Antartic. Throughout their lives, Penguins spend around half their time in the ocean doing things such as catching food and the other half on land raising their young. Their distinct tuxedo-like apperience called countershading camoflages their bodies, protecting them from predators above and below. Through out the “stepping stones”, the penguins grew to have a dense bone containing
On our Earth, we are graced with many fantastic life forms. From those gliding through the heavenly skies, to those at the deepest depths of the oceans, there is a plethora of various species. A group of these, though, is like a diamond in the rough. While many people admire its beauty, they have yet to realize that it’s the love for them that is dwindling its population. Who are these magnificent creatures…none other then the penguins.
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....
According to fossil records, Velociraptor stood at a height of only 2 feet and a length of 5 ½ feet (Glut, 1997). Velociraptor was roughly the size of a modern-day turkey, and the Velociraptor depicted in the film is closer in size to Deinonychus (Currie, 1997). In addition to the inaccurate size, paleontologists have discovered that Velociraptor possessed feathers. Quill knobs were found on the posterior forearm, which are identical in size and shape to the quill knobs found on present day birds that serve as anchor points for flight feathers (Turner, Makovicky, & Norell, 2007). The discovery of a new dinosaur with well-preserved feathers, Zhenyuanlong, which was a closely related cousin to Velociraptor presents strong evidence that it possessed feathers as well.
Lucy was discovered in East Africa in the 1970s, but she lived about 3.5 million years ago, this means that she is the oldest bipedal ape ever found. She did not look or act like humans do but he skeleton started to show some similar traits. Her thigh bones slanted inwards like humans’ to support her as she stands, her pelvis was no longer flat like a chimp’s but it was cupped like ours to hold her guts while she stood upright. Her mouth had also started to show human traits, including losing huge canine teeth. That said, Lucy is still very different from humans because she has a brain and body about the size of a chimp’s and she has long arms for climbing trees
Norell, Mark, Lowell Dingus, and Eugene S. Gaffney. "Why Did Nonavian Dinosaurs Become Extinct?" Discovering Dinosaurs: Evolution, Extinction, and the Lessons of Prehistory. Berkeley: U of California, 1995. N. pag. Print.
Neck and beak – *The neck is long and felixble as a result bird is able to rotate its head for reaching food and can see all around. *The jaws are teethless and are produced into beak which are variously modified to pick up food, making nests and preening etc. Skin – *The skin of bird is loose which allows movement of the flight muscles. Limbs –*Forelimbs are modified into wings and are attached closer to center of gravity and farther from head than in other animals. *The wings act as propelling organs for flight. *Hand bones are small, fused, flattened and specialized to manipulate the flight
Reptiles are vertebrate, or backboned animals constituting the class Reptilia and are characterized by a combination of features, none of which alone could separate all reptiles from all other animals.The characteristics of reptiles are numerous, therefore can not be explained in great detail in this report. In no special order, the characteristics of reptiles are: cold-bloodedness; the presence of lungs; direct development, without larval forms as in amphibians; a dry skin with scales but not feathers or hair; an amniote egg; internal fertilization; a three or four-chambered heart; two aortic arches (blood vessels) carrying blood from the heart to the body, unlike mammals and birds that only have one; a metanephric kidney; twelve pairs of cranial nerves; and skeletal features such as limbs with usually five clawed fingers or toes, at least two spinal bones associated with the pelvis, a single ball-and-socket connection at the head-neck joint instead of two, as in advanced amphibians and mammals, and an incomplete or complete partition along the roof of the mouth, separating the food and air passageways so that breathing can continue while food is being chewed. These and other traditional defining characteristics of reptiles have been subjected to considerable modification in recent times. The extinct flying reptiles, called pterosaurs or pterodactyls, are now thought to have been warm-blooded and covered with hair. Also, the dinosaurs are also now considered by many authorities to have been warm-blooded. The earliest known bird, archaeopteryx, is now regarded by many to have been a small dinosaur, despite its covering of feathers The extinct ancestors of the mammals, the therapsids, or mammallike reptiles, are also believed to have been warm-blooded and haired.