Re: Microraptor also ate fish

[GSP1954@aol.com]

But would the anaerobic versus aerobic flight muscle osteological 
correlates derived from modern birds apply to basal fliers? And I don't know it 
we 
can pin down the upper % of microraptor body mass made up of flight muscles to 
put a max limit of climb performance that would exclude them from being 
able to get into tree canopies from flying from the ground -- assuming the 
muscles were strongly geared to anaerobic output (your white breast meat). 
Worth 
looking into of course. 

GSPaul


In a message dated 5/1/13 10:42:50 AM, biologyinmotion@gmail.com writes:

<< Precise performance estimates are indeed impossible, but highly 
anaerobic burst flight capacity does have measurable osteological correlates, 
so it 
is not a complete black box.  And of course, there is always the sensitivity 
test: if microraptorans could not climb out steeply enough to get into 
trees etc. even with all anaerobic muscle, then the idea is effectively 
falsified, without knowing the actual life physiology. >>

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