|
Darren Naish wrote in : MAASTRICHT
CONFERENCE PT 2 13th May 98:
< **MESOZOIC FAUNAS**. . . Igor Novikov
reported new Mesozoic Russian fossil sites. Peski, a Bathonian site near Moscow, yielded a dromaeosaurid tooth. > That's 25 million years pre Archae. For
me, this is a candidate for "Unfound fossil of the . . .
"
. . .moment perhaps. If it really is
drom, (for me an ex-flying form), then J-BCF is right, as well as K-BCF.
If it isn't, what is it?
BUT - if droms, to me a very successful design (lasted whole
of the K, anyway) were "abroad" in the jurassic, how come they didn't
radiate even faster than they did? Also, that (K) raptor from south
america - is it the only import from the northern hemisphere at that time?
If so, why? What was it about its ancestors that allowed it to cross seas that
it's competitiors couldn't cross? Also, why did it not go on to dominate
the S American carnifauna?
My other main contenders for "Unfound fossil of the . .
." are:
Rahonavis. Yes, it's
been found, but since it's arms are more similar to Archae than droms etc, it's
missing link status will not be recognised until - well, what fossil must we
wait for now until people will see this?!
The missing link between birds and segnosaurs. I've
recently realised that segnosaurs are so late that they may have had 80 million
years to have diverged from Archae. Look how far we've come in that
time. I can't quite remember what the convincing evidence against segns.
coming from early birds was.
JJ
|