EEB386H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Carpal Bones, Archaeopteryx, Terrestrial Locomotion
14 Feb 2017
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Document Summary
Interesting because one of the models of flight proposes that feathers evolved in the context of flight. Feather integument evolved early relative to flight. Findings from chinese fossils of nearly non-avian dinosaur with feather integument. Evolution of flight is considered major transition. Working definition of bird: dinosaur capable of powered flight with feathered wings. Capacity to produce lift accelerate, manoeuvre at various speeds. Gliding/parachuting has evolved many times across animal kingdom and plants: parachuting frogs, lizards that can create wing flap, flying fish, sugar gliders. Connected limbs with skin and considered gliding surface. Non-powered flight because they"re not generating lift, and they"re not manoeuvring: just controlled fall, changing rate of descent. Wood duck could be in high park. A lot of game birds are precocial: when chicks hatch, they leave nets, wood duck chicks have to parachute out. Use talons to pin small mammals to ground. Gizzard does good job but can"t get bones.
