RE: Fossil Discovery Threatens Theory of Birds' Evolution

["Tracy Ford" <tlford@ix.netcom.com>]

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
ELurio@aol.com
Sent: Saturday, June 24, 2000 10:50 AM
To: dbensen@gotnet.net
Cc: dinosaur@usc.edu
Subject: Re: Fossil Discovery Threatens Theory of Birds' Evolution


In a message dated 6/24/00 1:09:43 PM, dbensen@gotnet.net writes:

<< That is a problem.  I say that a flightless bird _is_ a dinosaur, but
other
people don't.  What we need is a diagnostic feature that we can find and say
"yes!  That's a dinosaur".  We can look at mammals' jawbones  (or teeth) and
seperate them from mammal-like reptiles, and that has made things much
easier.>>

The defintion of "mammal" has changed in the last decade or so. How do you
know that a live Olyagopolis would look like a reptile?  As to the former
comment, I'm pretty sure that's right. Postosucius, has a theropod-like
skull, but not a theropod-like body.

Just wait. There is new research coming on Postosuchus that will show that
it was bipedal and just a little more theropod like. Chatterjee is however
saying it had nothing what so ever to do with theropods now.
Tracy