WFC 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Deinonychus, Thecodontia, Uncinate Processes Of Ribs

• School: UC-Davis
• Department: Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology
• Course: WFC 111
• Professor: Eadie John

Document Summary

1860 found single fossil feather found in a limestone quarry in the solnhofen formation in germany. Wing feathers were specialized into primary and secondaries. Clavicles fused into the furcula or wishbones. Hand bones not fused; claws on wings. Long bony tail (tail vertebrae present; not fused into pygostyle) Huxley- the man who brought darwin"s work to the public and defended him. Huxley say many similarities between archaeopteryx and theropod reptiles, especially coelurosaurs. G. hellmann (1926) (cid:364)the origin of birds(cid:365) Argued birds (class aves) derived from pseudosuchian thecodont ancestor. Believed theropods lacked (cid:364)wishbone(cid:365) or furcula (fused clavicles) Other reptiles have clavicles; so bird ancestor must be from thecodont (stem reptile) group. Long clawed hands with only 3 fingers. 3 toes on food (one large sickle shaped claw) Half moon shaped bone in wrist, allowed wrist to rotate. If true, then birds are the direct descendants. No, probably not, but shared many characteristics of the same group.