In recent years, birds have become the topic of intense evolutionary debate. An over whelming majority (if not all) of contemporary biologists agree that birds evolved from reptiles. However, much controversy remains over exactly which reptile they evolved from. A growing part of the biology community hold the belief that birds, surprising as it may seem, evolved directly from dinosaurs.
Over the past four decades, beginning in the 1970’s, phylogenic researchers have accumulated a growing pile of evidence that demonstrates a clear link between birds and the extinct dinosaurs. The current theory holds that birds evolved from the prehistoric kings of the sky: the Pterosaurs. The Pterosaurs were flying reptiles, not birds. There is a difference, the main one being that birds have feathers while flying dinosaurs had scales. From there, based on Darwinian evolution, researchers believe there were a series of intermediate species, culminating in the evolution of the modern bird.
The beginning of the journey towards understanding the evolution of birds from dinosaurs occurred in 1861 when the now famous fossil Archaeopteryx was discovered in German swampland. It is believed to be one of the transition fossils predicted by Darwinian evolution; it exhibits both avian and dinosaur traits. It had long and powerful legs that ended in three toed feet. Each toe finished in a long talon. The structure of its spine and the spine’s termination in a bony exterior tale is characteristic of dinosaur fossils of the same period (Jurassic). Most importantly however, the unique fossilizing conditions of the swamp had preserved imprints of birds’ most distinctive feature: feathers. This set of characteristics has led a substantial part of the scientific community to proclaim Archaeopteryx as irrefutable proof of the evolutionary relationship of birds and dinosaurs.
The beginning of the journey towards understanding the evolution of birds from dinosaurs occurred in 1861 when the now famous fossil Archaeopteryx was discovered in German swampland. It is believed to be one of the transition fossils predicted by Darwinian evolution; it exhibits both avian and dinosaur traits. It had long and powerful legs that ended in three toed feet. Each toe finished in a long talon. The structure of its spine and the spine’s termination in a bony exterior tale is characteristic of dinosaur fossils of the same period (Jurassic). Most importantly however, the unique fossilizing conditions of the swamp had preserved imprints of birds’ most distinctive feature: feathers. This set of characteristics has led a substantial part of the scientific community to proclaim Archaeopteryx as irrefutable proof of the evolutionary relationship of birds and dinosaurs.
Despite the evidence suggesting otherwise, there is a slim minority of scientists who still believe that birds evolved independent of the dinosaurs. They claim that any comparable aspects of their anatomy are a product of convergent evolution, asserting that birds did not appear until approximately 65 million years ago, long after Archaeopteryx has been dated to.
The fiery scientific debate on the matter may be coming to a close. In 2007, a fossil was uncovered in the Gobi desert that many experts consider as even greater support for the dinosaur to bird evolution than Archaeopteryx. The small fossil, measuring just over two feet from head to tail, has been named Mahakala omnogovae and was completely covered in feathers. Its small stature helps support the idea that evolution and selective pressures caused dinosaurs to shrink in size over time. This has long been a critique by detractors seeking to discredit the theory.
As more and more evidence continues to come to light, the theory that birds evolved directly from dinosaurs has become increasingly credible. One side effect of this research is that as researchers have studied the link between birds and dinosaurs, they have realized that some previous assumptions about dinosaurs are false. For instance, the velociraptor of Jurassic Park fame is now believed to have been covered almost entirely in feathers, while in the movie, it is covered in scales. As research into evolutionary patterns continues to advance, it remains to be seen how exactly, our flying friends fit into the tree of life.
The fiery scientific debate on the matter may be coming to a close. In 2007, a fossil was uncovered in the Gobi desert that many experts consider as even greater support for the dinosaur to bird evolution than Archaeopteryx. The small fossil, measuring just over two feet from head to tail, has been named Mahakala omnogovae and was completely covered in feathers. Its small stature helps support the idea that evolution and selective pressures caused dinosaurs to shrink in size over time. This has long been a critique by detractors seeking to discredit the theory.
As more and more evidence continues to come to light, the theory that birds evolved directly from dinosaurs has become increasingly credible. One side effect of this research is that as researchers have studied the link between birds and dinosaurs, they have realized that some previous assumptions about dinosaurs are false. For instance, the velociraptor of Jurassic Park fame is now believed to have been covered almost entirely in feathers, while in the movie, it is covered in scales. As research into evolutionary patterns continues to advance, it remains to be seen how exactly, our flying friends fit into the tree of life.