Birds today

Reversed perching toe allowed the animal to perch on places steadily.

Dinosaurs to BirdsThe Evolutionary History of

How Modern Day Birds Came to Be

Sources

Understanding Evolution. 2013. University of California Museum of Paleontology.

Shake a Tail Feather: The Evolution of the Theropod Tail into a Stiff Aerodynamic Surface. March 15, 2013 By Michael Pittman, Stephen M. Gatesy, Paul Upchurch, Anjali Goswami, John R. Hutchinson

Tyrannosaur

The pelvis is most likely one of the main identifiers of theropod to bird evolution due to the placement of different sections of hip.

The Cretaceous Period. 2011. University of California Museum of Paleontology.

The Jurassic Period. 2011. University of California Museum of Paleontology.

Setting aside the differences between Birds and Theropods,

such as Tails, teeth, and feathers there were organisms that show similarities to both birds and Theropods, such as

the Archaeopteryx

Archaeopteryx had the startings of something

very similar to the modern day bird’s re-versed perching toe,

although not quite yet fully realized as such.

Theropods are innately different from birds, but there are major similarities that we can use to see the link...

But first, what makes a theropod a theropod?

Teeth! Most theropods Had a highly specialized Set of teeth specific totheir diet.

It is debated what purpose the theropods tail served. Some theories involve stability when running and such.

Some theropods had bristles that are what we might consider Prototype feathers.

This is a modern day bird feather.

Archaeopteryx had feathers similar to modern day birds. This supports the idea that they could sustain flight.

The Archaeopteryx had a tail that was probably used to stabilize flight or glides.

Had a slender muzzle with teeth, not so dissimilar to a beak.

Birds have evolved out of the need for teeth. Most likely because of a change to a mainly omnivorous diet.

Tails disappeared all together. Only to be replaced by tail feathers, which assist the bird’s sustained flight.

With the increased use of gliding or actual flight the animal’s fingers mostly melded together to create a solid wing structure. Flight feath-ers also evolved to where they are now, al-lowing for sustained flight.

Some famous theropods include Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor, and

Dilophosaurus

Example Skull Evolution

Archaeopteryx

Chicken

Before we found evidence of feathers on dinosaurs, we had their bones to compare to modern day animals.

The Pelvis (or hip structure)

Hips don’t lie....

Now let’s look at how these ancient ancestors of birds look today.

Mid to Late Cretaceous Period: 145-65 Million years ago.

Late Jurassic period: 199 - 145 Million years ago

150 Million years ago to present

And thats how Dinosaurs became birds.

Designed by: Julian Faulkingham