Re: Microraptor ate birds

[Tim Williams <tijawi@gmail.com>]

David Marjanovic <david.marjanovic@gmx.at> wrote:

> Oh please, that's just special pleading. I don't see why *Microraptor* would
> have any greater difficulties than *Felis*. Those feathers on the hands
> didn't stick out at random, they were oriented at 90° from the claws and
> thus from potential prey.


So tell me David: How did the hands of _MIcroraptor_ actually grab the
prey?  If the little bird was at ground-level, those feathers on the
hands would collide with the ground.  Check out Fig. 7 of Senter
(2007).  Something you seem to have overlooked is that those long
feathers and long fingers made it very difficult for the hands to
catch *small* prey (impossible, if the prey was on the ground below).


> Parachuting on a bird from above? Silently? Let alone with long, very narrow
> wings instead of short, broad ones?


Yeah, why not?





Cheers

Tim