Re: New Archaeopteryx specimen with new foot details

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Mike Keesey wrote:

> 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.)

What I was trying to say is that _Rahonavis_ is much more similar to 
_Archaeopteryx_ than it is to ornithothoracine birds.  This might be 
symplesiomorphic.  In any case, the aerodynamic behavior of long-tailed 
birds like _Archaeopteryx_, _Rahonavis_, _Shenzhouraptor_ and maybe 
_Yandangornis_ must have been very different to that of ornithothoracines, 
up to and including modern flying birds.

As for those microraptorans... if they did fly, then they exemplified a 
'third way' that used four wings (or even five, if the tail is included) for 
aerial flight.

Cheers

Tim