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RE: Sapeornis and other Mesozoic Birds

> From: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> Ralph Miller
>
> A label in the exhibit, "Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries" (see
> http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/dinosaurs/diorama/specieslist.php), reads:
> 
> "Sapeornis chaoyangensis
> largest-known Mesozoic bird"
> 
> I know that this is incorrect, as the flightless _Gargantuavis_ was about
> the size of an ostrich. 
> 
> So is _Sapeornis_ the largest known FLYING Mesozoic bird?  

Actually, it's certainly in the running for that...

> The largest known EARLY Mesozoic bird?  

Or "Early Cretaceous bird". Or "Bird in a unit that our paleontologists work 
on..."

> The Mesozoic bird with the best press agent?

Nope, that's Archaeopteryx.

>  Or what? 


                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
        Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
        Mailing Address:
                Building 237, Room 1117
                College Park, MD  20742  
     
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796