BIOC50H3 Lecture 10: Lecture 10- BIOC50 theropod evolution
Document Summary
Lecture 10 : theropods and the evolution of birds. Ex giganotosaurs (13m: limited resources required specialized niches, specialized massive bones and muscles were hard to sustain. Skull adapted to catching fish: curved jaws caught the slippery fish. Scientific investigation into the origin of birds began shortly after darwin published on the origin of species in 1859. 1860 a fossilized feather was discovered in germanys late jurassic limestone quarries. This was followed by discovery of a series of partial and complete specimens beginning in. The bird was named achaeopteryx: long tail of its skeleton looks reptilian, they have claws on the forewings = reptilian. With modern birds its shared feathers and wings but other wise looks like a prehistoric reptile. Has been considered a transitional fossil or missing link between reptiles and birds ever since. Hoatzin that live in stream side habitat: they lose their claws as they become adults) lack claws on wings.
