Re: New Archaeopteryx specimen with new foot details

["T. Michael Keesey" <keesey@gmail.com>]

On 12/2/05, Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> I completely agree.  The thing is, if _Archaeopteryx_ retains the basal
> avialan bauplan, this plesiomorphic bauplan appears to have persisted into
> the Late Cretaceous in the form of taxa such as _Rahonavis_ - at a time when
> ornithothoracine evolution was in full throttle.

Seeing as there are no feathers preserved, I don't think we can
confidently state whether _Rahonavis_ was aerodynamically more like
_Archaeopteryx_ (2-winged, with some longish leg feathers) or
_Microraptor_ (4-winged). (Or in between or none of the above.)
--
Mike Keesey
The Dinosauricon: http://dino.lm.com
Parry & Carney: http://parryandcarney.com