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Re: Of course nonavian dinosaurs could fly - duh



Donna Braginetz wrote:


> > A number of arboreal animals have elongated
> > limbs, including some primates.
> 
> True, but Anchiornis certainly wasn't brachiating through
> the forest.  :-)


I was about to say the same thing.  Primates also have highly mobile wrist and 
ankle joints, and superb branch-grasping abilities.  All these characters are 
conspicuously lacking from any non-avian theropod.  A perching hallux doesn't 
turn up until well into Avialae (the bird clade).


> I really am trying hard to picture a lifestyle for these
> guys other than
> feeding on the ground and roosting in trees, like a wild
> turkey.


That's exactly how I picture them.  In other words, paravians like _Anchiornis_ 
split their time between trees and the ground, but were much more comfortable 
on the ground.  


Aerodynamically, these four-winged theropods remind me of giant shuttlecocks, 
with the feathers adapted to maximize drag.


Cheers

Tim