Bird-like dinosaur forces rethink

[Judi Lynn]

Last Updated: Thursday, 13 October 2005, 13:44 GMT 14:44 UK
Bird-like dinosaur forces rethink

A rooster-sized dinosaur with a long, slender snout and wing-like limbs is forcing a rethink on bird evolution.
The 90 million-year-old reptile belongs to the same sickle-clawed group of dinosaurs as Velociraptor and feathered dinosaurs from China.

Buitreraptor gonzalezorum, from the Neuquén Basin in central Argentina may provide tantalising evidence that powered flight evolved twice.

Details of the discovery appear in the academic journal Nature.

One theory suggests the lineage of dinosaurs the new animal belonged to, the dromaeosaurs, originated in the Cretaceous Period (144 to 65 million years ago).

More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4337888.stm

[Faux pas]

1. Interesting, thanks!

:)

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. Can't see why that would surprise anybody.

Powered flight evolved at least 3 1/2 times - winged insects, birds, bats and (the 1/2) flying fish (which do more of a powered glide - more than gliding but less than flying). What's one more?

[eppur_se_muova]

3. Don't forget flying (gliding) squid, lizards, squirrels, and snakes! nt

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. Yep. Any of those could, like the flying fish, be evolving into

true fliers. Wish I could stick around for a couple million years to see.