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Or did they evolve from a common ancestor.

2007-01-08 09:25:56 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics Zoology

15 answers

the fossil record and bone structures 'suggest' that the answer is yes. In the same manner that humans 'evolved' from primates, birds are believed to have descended from certain dinosaurs.

2007-01-08 09:37:08 · answer #1 · answered by xooxcable 5 · 0 0

Evidence suggested that birds descended from the theropod group of dinosaurs - in fact the velociraptors in the 3rd Jurassic Park movie had some feathers on them - pin feathers have been found on various dinosaur species - even I heard very recently, a juvenile T. Rex (though probably not on any adults) The first answerer is obviously a creationist.

The evidence is so good at the moment that cladists (cladistics is the modern science of classification) would claim that to be consistent they'd have to say that Birds ARE Dinosaurs - in fact when referring to prehistoric beasts like raptors and carnosaurs they'd call them 'non-avian dinosaurs' to distinguish them from birds!

2007-01-08 23:40:49 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Yes, the evidence is fairly clear that birds are descended from the group known as Theropods, which included well-known dinosaurs such as T Rex but also some smaller ones.

Interestingly, birds aren't descended from the original flying dinosaurs, the Pterosaurs - these were an unrelated branch that haven't left any modern-day descendants.

2007-01-08 21:47:01 · answer #3 · answered by Daniel R 6 · 2 0

Birds probably evolved from the maniraptors, a branch of bird-like dinosaurs . This idea has been hotly debated for over a hundred years. New fossil evidence is reinforcing this theory, which is now accepted by most scientists.

In order to determine what animals birds evolved from, scientists use fossil evidence to trace the emergence of bird-like traits. Many Mesozoic Era bird-like creatures have been found, some which are clearly dinosaurs. There are many similarities between birds and theropod dinosaurs, including the number of openings in the skull (they're diapsids), secondary palate structure, leg and foot structure and proportions, upright stance, oviparous birth (laying eggs), bone structure (bones interlaced with vessels), and scales (modified in birds and some dinosaurs to be feathers).

Recently, scientists have reorganized the groups in which many animals have been classified using a system called cladistics. Since birds are descended from dinosaurs, they are in the same group, dinosauria.
The Archaeopteryx is one of the most famous and oldest-known fossil birds, and dates from the late Jurassic period (about 150 million years ago). It is now extinct. Although it had feathers and could fly, it had similarities to dinosaurs, including its teeth, skull, and certain bone structures. Some paleontologists think that Archaeopteryx was a dead-end in evolution and that the maniraptors led to the birds.
In the chain of creatures leading from dromaeosaurid dinosaurs (advanced theropods) to birds, Sinosauropteryx is the earliest bird-like dinosaur.

2007-01-09 20:23:51 · answer #4 · answered by Biofav 2 · 0 1

Dinosaurs and birds share a number of features- hollow bones, foot structure and a 'keel' bone.
The fossil archaeopteryx which first began the speculation had dinosaur features but also feathers. (Some scientists think now that archaeopteryx was an evolutionary dead end!)I believe even older fossils exist of feathered dinosaur groups.
There are a number of theories
1 Birds descended from dinosaurs (earliest- Huxley)
2 Parallel evolution/common ancestor
3 Dinosaurs descended from birds (most recent and controversial)
Google 'dinosaurs and birds'- you'll find a vast amount of information/research on this fascinating topic.
PS sack the first two respondents btw, I think they are extremely insulting and ignorant and trying to foist some sort of creationist agenda on you, which is irrelevant to the question and belongs to the wrong forum.

2007-01-08 09:56:35 · answer #5 · answered by troothskr 4 · 3 0

Crocodiles at the instant are not now, nor ever have been dinosaurs. Sorry. besides, the "crocodiles from then are comparable in visual allure in undemanding terms. they does not have been in a position to reproduce with modern-day crocodiles - and the undeniable fact that they have been the scale of a city bus has not something to do with it. finally, dinosaurs not being extinct has no impact on the reality of evolution or the previous-earth theory.

2016-12-16 04:53:09 · answer #6 · answered by kosakowski 3 · 0 0

Yes its fact it has bin prov en the found a fossil that was a dinosaur with forming feathers

2007-01-08 09:38:42 · answer #7 · answered by peg42857 4 · 0 0

the closest dino relative of birds is the Archaeopteryx, a winged, feathered, flying dino. if you believe in the theory of evolution, this might be the modern birds' ancestor.

2007-01-08 09:38:55 · answer #8 · answered by rupee_ramski 1 · 0 0

dodo was a bird in the prehistoric times a terradactal was the only flying dinosaurs so maybe the terradactal but not the otheres wouldnt they have wings

2007-01-08 09:40:27 · answer #9 · answered by littlenobmiltz 2 · 0 2

Maybe they are. Did they ever find a flying big dino with feathers? I mean its skelaton.

2007-01-08 13:40:44 · answer #10 · answered by xx 3 · 0 0

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