Re: BIRD CHARACTERISITICS

[charger72@juno.com]

Sorry to repeat myself, but when I got my post I realized I'd made some
mistakes:
I forgot to mention the fused "wrist" and partially fused metacarpals.
The "keel" on the sternum is called a carina, the wishbone is the
furcula.
Archeopteryx does have a furcula in addition to the feathers (as do many
theropods).
I read in an encyclopedia that Archeopteryx *may* have had a slightly
keeled sternum, but that is the only reference I have to it.


On Tue, 21 Oct 1997 13:11:52 -0700 charger72@juno.com writes:
>I'm not sure what the diagnostic features would be, but to make sure 
>everyone knows what we are talking about I will list the unique 
>features of birds. Some of these features are shared by other animals, 
>but they are distinctly avian characteristics.
>
>1) large sternum with a deep furcula (keel) attached to long ribs and 
>elongated coracoid bones.
>2) shoulder girdle rotated and shifted upward, even with the backbone.
>3) elongated lower leg bones and a modified ankle (tarso-metatarsus)
>4) elongated ilium attached to at least 11 vertebrae and as many as 
>23.
>5) ischium and pubis point backward to make room for the sternum.
>6) short body centered over the feet with breastbone between the 
>knees.
>7) shortened pygostyle tail.
>8) merged temporal openings.
>9) feathers.
>
>Archeopteryx has only the last feature. One should expect to find the 
>others to some extent (or at least the beginings of them) in ancestral 
>birds.
>
>
>On Tue, 21 Oct 1997 11:58:23 -0600 (MDT) Jeffrey Martz 
><martz@holly.ColoState.EDU> writes:
>>
>>
>>     To expand a little, what are the diagnostic charcteristics of 
>>Aves?
>>Again, alternatives not based on the _Archaeopteryx_ &/or theropod
>>ancestry theory would also be nice.
>>
>>LN Jeff 
>>O-
>>
>>