Re: Rock'n'roll !

["Scott Hartman" <scott_hartman@hotmail.com>]

> > > Another way to define the class Aves is "all vertebrates closer to modern 
> > > birds than to modern croocodylians," crocodylians being birds' extant 
> > > sister group. Then >all< the dinosaurs become basal birds.<<<

    And all pterosaurs too (ornithodira is closer to birds than crocs)?  
This doesn't actually bother me any, as it would more acurately reflect 
evolution and morphological diversity, but is there a preexisting cladistic 
definition for Aves that would have to be disregarded?  In not, someone 
write that puppy up, although I don't know how ornithologists will react to 
thinking of pterosaurs as basal birds...

Scott
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