Re: BAAD BCF

[Robert.J.Meyerson@uwrf.edu (Rob Meyerson)]

>>Most gliders, of course, never evolve powered flight. They evolve other
>>specializations toward becoming better gliders, either because their
>>particular gliding adaptations prohibit (or at least render extremely
>>unlikely) the evolution of flight (e.g., flattened ribcages) or simply
>>because the requisite adaptations simply did not appear in their lineages.
>
>Precisely my point - the evolution of gliding is not simply a way-station o=
n
>the road to powered flight, and may in fact have nothing to do with it.

So here's the question:

There are only three terrestrial vertebrates that have ever evolved flight:=
 Birds, Bats, and Pterosaurs.  I know that both bird and bat evolution is=
 shotty at best, but how much do we know about pterosaur evolution?  Do we=
 have good (or any) transitional fossils for this group?  If we did, we=
 might be able to pull an idea or two from them.  Any thoughts from the=
 pterosaur experts?

Rob

***
Labrynthodonts: Amphibians that lived with the Minitaur!