Birds are Dinosaurs (1 Viewer)

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Toller

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Birds: The Late Evolution of Dinosaurs

Recently, fossils of early birds and their most immediate predecessors have been collected at an unprecedented rate from Mesozoic-aged rocks worldwide. This wealth of new fossils has settled the century-old controversy of the origin of birds. Today, we can safely declare that birds evolved from a group of dinosaurs known as maniraptoran theropods-generally small meat-eating dinosaurs that include Velociraptor of Jurassic Park fame.

https://nhm.org/site/research-collections/dinosaur-institute/dinosaurs/birds-late-evolution-dinosaurs

A couple of early bird cousins :-


Fred Wierum Velociraptor

Fred Wierum [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons


Tyrannosaurus rex mmartyniuk

Matt Martyniuk [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

Not quite the same as they appeared in Jurassic Park.
 
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Snowmelt

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In nature, red is for danger, and that is a billboard!
 
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Lila

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Awesome!
I've long strongly considered the possibility that pelicans are almost-dinosaurs, along with perhaps turtles, crocs and sturgeon. Never quite got around to checking on the details, so am particularly happy to have someone post about this.
Thanks.
 
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Carl

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You know, I read about it many years ago as a theory proposed by a couple of scientist and they were quickly stifled by the main scientific community. I guess now the evidence is too powerful to deny.
 
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Lila

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You know, I read about it many years ago as a theory proposed by a couple of scientist and they were quickly stifled by the main scientific community. I guess now the evidence is too powerful to deny.
Yup. That's how science seems to grow.
That seems to be how our belief systems change.
That's how we have been evolving.

You'd think we'd come up with a kinder system by now than one that calls all pioneers and out of the box thinkers crazy, dismisses them or puts them down in some way:)|o_O
Historically, that's been how we've rolled. Sigh.

Okay, now maybe we will come up with a kinder, more constructive way to treat those who don't think the way we do? A way to be skeptical without being cynical, open without being pushovers, think critically without being critical and, perhaps most of all, trust ourselves.
We can certainly give it a go;)
 
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Toller

Toller

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Awesome!
I've long strongly considered the possibility that pelicans are almost-dinosaurs, along with perhaps turtles, crocs and sturgeon. Never quite got around to checking on the details, so am particularly happy to have someone post about this.
Thanks.
Yep, pelicans are dinosaurs, turtles are reptiles, crocodiles evolved from archosaurs the same as dinosaurs but evolved on a separate path. Sturgeon are living fossils (like the Coelacanth). They all trace their ancestry back to the early Triassic.

If you want to see an extant bird that looks like a dinosaur (and can kill like a velociraptor) look at the cassowary.

https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=cassowary

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Casuarius


Wild cassowary walking at Mission Beach IMG 3933

Wvbailey [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
 

Snowmelt

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http://www.amazingaustralia.com.au/animals/cassowary.htm

Aborigines used to hunt and eat cassowaries. The hunters used a short pipe like a mini didgeridoo and by hitting their hand on one hand of the pipe they made a sound that attracted or confused the cassowaries, the birds were also easy to find as they usually have a routine and walk the same route everyday. The meat of the cassowary is said to be very strong in taste and to even make some people a bit dizzy the first time they eat it. Cassowaries are still part of the diet in New Guinea, where they are either hunted or kept as domestic animals, though this is risky as the birds can escape and if it injures or kills anyone in the village family members will expect compensation or a revenge killing.

BN1420_41.jpg
This is the Southern Cassowary (Casuarius Casuarius johnsonii) I learned that they are fruitarians, but have massively long talons, and can run fast and jump quite high (1.5 metres) meaning, they could easily disembowel a dog or small human if they felt so inclined. The dinosaur aspect is really apparent in this picture: vestigial ears, red advertising their pre-eminence, so caution on approach. The horned head is protecting what is actually a bird brain. :fp O.o:D
 

Lila

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Wow, thanks for all that!
I've learned a ton.
 

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