Dinosaurs And Birds Essay example -- Archeology Dinosaurs Birds Essays

Dinosaurs and BirdsAre birds really dinosaurs or are they simply link up? That is a question that has gained new life in recent geezerhood due to the overwhelming facts the are pouring in from newly free-base fossils and studies from fossils that have been found in the past. Two groups have formed in the study of this question those who believe birds are a direct forget of dinosaurs and those who feel dinosaurs and birds must have had a common ancestor. Determining which encounter is correct is a matter of opinion based on fact. The of import problem involves the use of cladistics or phylogenetic systematics to group organisms harmonise to characteristics they share. When one looks at dinosaur fossils, he or she may feel that authoritative characteristics are used for something entirely different than someone else who has looked at the aforementioned(prenominal) fossil. genius cannot talk about dinosaur and bird lineage without mentioning Archaeopteryx. Most paleontologists pair that Archaeopteryx was the first bird. Archaeopteryx thus represents what paleontologists would call a transitional form in the midst of two major groups of animals, the reptiles (dinosaurs) and birds. The main difference between the theropods and Archaeopteryx were the long arms of the Archaeopteryx, adapted as wings, the feathers, and the presence of a wishbone that the theropods did not have. All of these features tie it to birds and its other characteristics tie it to theropods. One might say it was the missing link between the ...