Re: Birds and archosaurs

[Tom Holtz <tholtz@geochange.er.usgs.gov>]

>Well, when I talked to D. Martin last, around 1979, he stated one
>of the reasons for his theory was that the inner ear structure of
>birds is more easily derived from the crocodilian than the dinosaurian
>inner ear.  In fact he claimed that the dinosaurian inner ear was
>too specialized to have given rise to the avian inner ear.
>
>Based on his appearences recently on PBS specials, he still holds
>this theory.
>
>Also, Dr. Chatterjee, the discoverer of Protoavis, supports this
>theory, and he claims that Protoavis is "proof" that it is correct.

Actually, Chatterjee supports the idea that birds arose within maniraptoran
coelurosaurs (see his Protoavis paper in Philosophical Transactions of the
Royal Society of London or his Shuvosaurus paper in National Geographic
Research & Exploration).  He believes, however, that the origin of birds
lies in the early part of the Late Triassic, rather than sometime in the
Jurassic as is more commonly held.

                                
Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.                                   
tholtz@geochange.er.usgs.gov
Vertebrate Paleontologist in Exile                  Phone:      703-648-5280
U.S. Geological Survey                                FAX:      703-648-5420
Branch of Paleontology & Stratigraphy
MS 970 National Center
Reston, VA  22092
U.S.A.