Fuglenes oprindelse

Fuglenes oprindelse kan undersøges takket være en række fundne uddøde fugleslægter, der stadigvæk bar mange dinosaur-kendetegn. Siden fugle stammer fra en bestemte gruppe dinosaurer, og er meget nært beslægtet med familien Dromaeosauridae. Fossile rester af Dromaeosaurer og primitive fugle har mange lighedstræk, og derfor bør alle fugle kaldes for 'flyvende dinosaurer'. Fugle stammer altså ikke fra flyveøgler, som ikke engang var dinosaurer, omend nært beslægtede til dinosaurer.

Liste over primitive fugle:

• Archaeopteryx
• Sinornis
• Microraptor zhaoianus

Se også

• Fugle
• Flyveøgler
• Flyvende krybdyr

Eksterne henvisninger

På dansk

• Viden Om: Fuglenes Forfader

På engelsk

• dinodatabase.com: Flying Dinosaurs Citat: "...pterosaurs...were not dinosaurs, although they were related to them; they were flying reptiles..."
• dinohunters.com: Microraptor Citat: "...Microraptor zhaoianus...The discovery of a 130-million-year-old fossil of a feathered dinosaur provides dramatic evidence that birds evolved from the ancient reptiles, according to new research...Theropod dinosaurs and birds share about 100 anatomical features, including a wishbone, swiveling wrists and three forward-pointing toes. Norell said dromaeosaurs were theropod dinosaurs thought to be most closely related to birds..."
• 13 October 2005 BBC News: Bird-like dinosaur forces rethink Citat: "...A rooster-sized dinosaur with a long, slender snout and wing-like limbs is forcing a rethink on bird evolution...The authors say the discovery Rahonavis and Buitreraptor have long and wing-like forelimbs could imply that flight evolved twice, once in birds and once among this group of Gondwanan dromaeosaurs..."
• 2005-10-18, Sciencedaily: Wright Brothers Upstaged! Dinos Invented Biplanes Citat: "..."It seems likely that Microraptor invented the biplane 125 million years before the Wright 1903 Flyer."..."