BIRDS ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO DINOSAURS

Dinosaurs are the vertebrates’ animals. The evidence of dinosaurs and birds are related. Birds are closely relatives of dinosaurs, but the bone tissue of Dinosaurs are similar to those of female’s birds. However the reproductions of dinosaurs are very closely related to birds. “Dinosaurs produced and shell their eggs like modern birds. The discovery of pigeon-size fossils called archaeopteryx had a bird like skull, perch feet, and was a powered flyer with wings of the basic pattern and proportions of the modern avian wing(1)”. One can say that dinosaurs are birds just because, Dinosaurs have identical feathers like a Morden birds.

There is different arguments concerning whether the birds are closely related to birds or not. Some scientist call a small creature named mononykus as a new link between birds and dinosaurs, they say so just because it shares some features with modern birds, such as keeled sternum and some fused wrist.

Evidence comes from dinosaurs footprints they indicate that dinosaurs walk upright, which is similar to modern birds. One can say that, the ancestors of birds are theropod dinosaurs. They are different evidence of dinosaurs. Archaeopteryx is one of the types of dinosaurs and it was found in Jurassic rocks of Germany. These types of dinosaurs have feathers and wishbone. Those feathers are like reptiles. Teeth, tail and forelimb structure are like reptiles. This characteristics is resembles a small theropod dinosaurs.


Another bird fossil of Archaeopteryx was discovered in Northern side of china and was named as a confuciusornis. “This new evidence of fossil was resembles Archaeopteryx with having wings claws, but unlike Archaeopteryx and like modern birds and it confuse, because it indicates, lacked teeth and making it birds like than Archaeopteryx. Both of these fossils were look like birds and dinosaurs. Probably it can fly but not modern birds due to their reptiles’ feathers” (1).

Scientist described the fossil protoavis as true birds which is closer to modern birds than Archaeopteryx. The evidence also shows that, the first birds lived at the same time as earliest dinosaurs. “This could force the modification of theory that, birds and dinosaurs are the same. Scientist from china has discovered the remains fossil of four winged dinosaurs, with modern feathers on both forelimbs and hind limbs. The new species micro raptor GUI, provide evidence that birds evolved from dinosaurs. Within the theropod group, birds are most closely related to cromaeossaurids”. Dinosaurs took care of their eggs much like birds do. They laid them in mass breeding ground and watched over them after they hatched. All these are the evidence that comes from different scientist. Legs of dinosaurs tend to develop towards the bird structure, and the development is not harmonious and toes are bird-like. The pelvic bones of bird always consolidated those of dinosaurs.

Just conclude dinosaurs and birds are looked like, not because they were closely related, but because they lived in similar environment and they survive in a similar way. The discovery of confuciusornis show us that, fossil of the same age as Archaeopteryx has given us more evidence on the evolution of birds and their link to dinosaurs. It is commonly thought by scientist, that birds evolved from dinosaurs, and more from theropod dinosaurs.


References
1. Ambeliz, R. 2002. Birds and Dinosaurs. [Online]. Available from:
http://geology.wcedu.pima.edu/~rambeliz/rafweb.htm [2006, May 11]

2. Willis, P. 1997. Working out relationship. [Online] [Cited 2006, May 11]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds

Linette Netshiheni
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