Re: Body Size Evolution in Mesozoic Birds

[Nick Pharris <npharris@umich.edu>]

Quoting GUY LEAHY <xrciseguy@q.com>:

> J Evol Biol. 2008 Jan 9 [Epub ahead of print]
> Body size evolution in Mesozoic birds.Hone DW, Dyke GJ, Haden M, Benton MJ.
> Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, 
> Richard-Wagner-Straße, München, Germany.

...

> Contrary to previous interpretations of early avian evolution, we 
> demonstrate an overall increase in body size across Jurassic and 
> Cretaceous flying birds: taxon body size increases from the earliest 
> Jurassic through to the end of the Cretaceous, across a time span of 
> 70 Myr.

Um, what "earliest Jurassic" flying birds are they talking about here?  
Or do they mean latest Jurassic (which would also fit better with the 
70 Myr time frame)?


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Nicholas J. Pharris
Department of Linguistics
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
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