Re: PTEROSAURS: AVIAN ANCESTORS?

["James R. Cunningham" <jrccea@bellsouth.net>]

Betty Cunningham wrote:

> weren't pterosaurs (similar forms to Pteranodon) descended from
> rhemphorynchinoids (little guys with teeth and long tails)?  So
> pterosaur shoulders are descended from very small ancestors who did NOT
> have enormous wings (yes - no ?)

Yes.

> What kinda shoulder girdle did rhemphorynchinoids have?  How similar are
> they to the later pterosaurs?

Very.

> If the smaller earlier forms have the same shoulder details as the later
> more powerful forms, it won't fit your theory. They would not have
> evolved to handle heavier musculature if they evolved FIRST, BEFORE the
> heavy musculature.

They evolved first, before the heavy muscles, and robustness evolved as the
animals became larger.
JimC