RE: Dino/Birds? was Mesozoic snow? and fund for Antonio

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Jerry D. Harris wrote:

> It is interesting that none of the classic Jehol Biota taxa have yet been 
> recovered from the Daohugou (or, at least, not reported in any paper I have 
> access to), but neither does the Dabeigou Formation (source of 
> _Protopteryx_), and the latter is considered Early Cretaceous by most 
> workers.

Some authors have considered the Dabeigou Formation to be of Late Jurassic 
age, possibly Tithonian (e.g., Chang and Park [2003]).  As you say, the 
Dabeigou Fm is earlier than the Yixan Fm, which is in turn younger than the 
Jiufotang Fm.  At least, that's my understanding.

Andrew Simpson wrote:

> I am shocked. We continously being told that all these theropods are 
> feathered. The artists are putting feathers on everything thesedays. But 
> you seem to be saying that we have only two theropods with proof of 
> feathers?

Tom and Mickey dealt with this already, but just to reiterate: there are 
currently only two *Jurassic* theropods with proof of feathers.  These are 
_Archaeopteryx_ and _Pedopenna_ - although the exact age of the latter is 
still open to debate.  (I'm including _Jurapteryx_ and _Wellnhoferia_ in 
_Archaeopteryx_, thereby giving us only one bird genus from the Solnhofen.)

BTW, the artists aren't putting feathers on theropods.  Evolution did that.

> What is up with all those Dino-Birds in china. Are they flat out birds or 
> is there some cross into the
> dino realm?

Birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs, and so in a phylogenetic context all 
birds are dinosaurs.  Birds are dinosaurs, just as bats are mammals.  The 
term 'dino-bird' tends to apply to a nexus of theropod taxa that are close 
to the base of the Avialae, such as _Microraptor_, _Caudipteryx_, or 
primitive birds (like _Archaeopteryx_ or _Rahonavis_).  Some Chinese 
theropods are "flat out birds" in the sense that their referral to the 
Avialae seems secure (_Shenzhouraptor_, _Confuciusornis_, _Protopteryx_, 
_Yanornis_, etc), so they are "true" birds.  On the other hand, taxa like 
_Microraptor_, _Sinornithosaurus_, _Caudipteryx_ and _Beipiaosaurus_ usually 
fall outside the Avialae, but are neverthless kissing cousins of the true 
birds.  _Dilong_ (a tyrannosauroid) and _Sinosauropteryx_ (a compsognathid) 
are a little further from the Avialae, phylogentically speaking.

Mary Kirkaldy wrote:

> I for one would like to thank Frank for taking on this task. The fund is a 
> chance for the DML to do something that fits right in with our charter of 
> dinosaur science, and it fell into our laps by chance.

I wholeheartedly agree.  I am bewildered that Frank's emails could engender 
any animosity.


Cheers

Tim