Comments on: How Dinosaur Feet Evolved Into Bird Wings: New Fossil Provides Clues

By: JZ

JZ — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:16:38 +0000

Also – I’m not sure what you mean by the carnivory aspect. Herbivores evolve tolerance to plant toxins SO THEY CAN EAT PLANTS. As you state, seed eaters in particular need to be tolerant of the toxins plants put in their seeds to prevent seed predation.

By: JZ

JZ — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:11:28 +0000

A wing is a modified forelimb AND hand – not the same modification as a bat wing, but includes digits as well as radius/ulna. Image http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~cli/art/gallery/lart/bird_wing_by_lily.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~cli/art/lart.htm&h=550&w=917&sz=76&tbnid=GtshIOrVGKTIiM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=147&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbird%2Bwing%2Banatomy&hl=en&usg=__WpkW60R1CNmH_L9XLawhXIDkVlE=&ei=wHQ6Su2-M9GptgeVobnfDA&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image

By: YouRang

YouRang — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:36:37 +0000

What I’d like to see is a theropod which appears to be closely related to the bird line and whose forelimbs aren’t “wimpy” (using the articles word). I’m not familiar with birds’ anatomy; but I’m 99% certain that their wings aren’t modified hands the way that bats’ wings are. I might add that it seems unlikely that birds evolved from a vegetarian ancestor; anyone who has ever complained about bird poop knows that birds are relatively immune to poisons (like cayenne) since their GI runs food through so quickly (a trait of carnivores). (And how would the proto-bird have managed to soar while digesting a huge load of hay.) (I suppose proto-bird may have run seeds thru quickly in order to avoid the seed’s protective poisons like modern birds. I still think a carnivore is more likely.)