RE: Archie a bird not a dino

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@umd.edu>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu] 
> On Behalf Of Brian Hathaway
>
> So it is on fairly firm ground to continue with the idea that 
> this creature is one of the earliest "birds" found?
> (I need these directions in life!)
> :-)
> 
Hells bells, did you not read the quotes I just posted?!? :-)

In the authors' very own words:

"The results here do not demonstrate unequivocally that Archaeopteryx belongs 
with birds rather than with deinonychosaurs."

So no, not on firm ground. On quicksand, rather.

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Email: tholtz@umd.edu   Phone: 301-405-4084
Office: Centreville 1216                        
Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Dept. of Geology, University of Maryland
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
Fax: 301-314-9661               

Faculty Director, Science & Global Change Program, College Park Scholars
http://www.geol.umd.edu/sgc
Fax: 301-314-9843

Mailing Address:        Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                        Department of Geology
                        Building 237, Room 1117
                        University of Maryland
                        College Park, MD 20742 USA