where did they come from?
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Evolution of Birds. Where did they come from?. Archaeopteryx lithographica. Archaeopteryx. Fossils known only from the Solnhofen lithographic limestone quarry in Bavaria first discovered in 1861 the perfect ‘missing link’ between reptiles and birds (Origin of Species - 1859) - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Evolution of Birds:
Where did they come from?
Archaeopteryx lithographica
Archaeopteryx
Fossils known only from the Solnhofen lithographic limestone quarry
in Bavariafirst discovered in 1861the perfect missing link between
reptiles and birds (Origin of Species - 1859)only other specimens
found in 1857, 1877, 1951, 1974 (birds dont fossilize well . .
.why?)the most important and valuable fossil known
What was Solnhofen like then?
Solnhofen Quarry now
A feather!
probably for thermoregulation rather than flight
Archaeopteryxdates to the Jurassic, ~160 mybpslightly larger
than a pigeondid more gliding rather than flyingclawed fingers for
climbingsolid reptilian boneshad feathers and a furculaprobably not
on the mainline of bird evolution
Diatryma
~60 mybplarge carnivore7 ft. tall and flightlessprobably ran down
mammals and reptilesfound in New Jersey (as well as
elsewhere)
Phororhacos
~30 mybpabout as tall as a manlived in South America, probably
before the before large predatory mammals lived there
Elephant birdweighed ~1000 pounds2 gallon eggs
Aepyornis
What is the ancestral line?
Dinosaurs?
Crocodiles?
Recent research developments:
1984 finding of a new oldest bird fossil from Texas, Protoavis~75
my older than Archaeopteryxmore birdlike, more advancedperhaps more
on the evolutionary mainstream of birdsgives stronger evidence to
dinosaur lineage