BIRDS HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE LIVING OF THE RELATIVES OF DINOSAURS

Dinosaurs and birds are vertebrate animals that are found on land or terrestrial environment. These two species are omnivores meaning that they feed themselves on plants, meat seeds and fruits from the trees. Dinosaurs have four legs and they do not have wings. The birds have legs and wings which are used fly. Both birds and dinosaurs have back bone. The evidence that the paleontologists have about the close relationship between the dinosaurs and birds is unclear or controversial. It is because some paleontologists believe that dinosaurs are ancestors of birds resemble to dinosaurs. Paleontologists made their decision suggesting that birds are living relative of the dinosaur’s species.


Some Paleontologists suggested that recorded fossil of birds and dinosaurs. Indicates that there is a closely relationship between them. It is said that because a fossil of confuciousornis species in China which was a resemblance of Archaeopteryx species, and this species have wing claws like a modern birds and they had no teeth like the birds. Confuciousornis and Archaeopteryx fossil look like the birds and they did fly like birds.


Some paleontologists came up with the negative thoughts about the relationship between the birds and the dinosaurs and they gave the evidence on the bones. They said that the birds have different number of the toes. They said that some birds have three toes, some have five and some have more toes but depending on the area where they found. It said that some of the bones toes of the birds resemble of the reptiles are ancestors of the birds.


Paleontologists also disagree about the ribcage in the fossils of dinosaurs which was compressed more from back to their belly. Some scientists believe that the similarities between dinosaurs and birds are very imported. They said that by comparing the bones in the wings of birds with the front feet of the dinosaurs. The evidence indicates that these bones are similar to the bones of any other species and birds and dinosaurs had similar behavior.


Some paleontologists believe that birds developed from the reptiles before dinosaurs. They compared birds with the reptiles than dinosaurs, reptiles and birds have many features that they share and which are common in both species. The characteristics of the birds and the dinosaurs include wings with four functional fingers, long bone, slender, vertebrate tail recurved teeth, set in socket and vertebrate biconcave etc are different from those which are found in dinosaurs such as very hallow bones etc.


Birds and dinosaurs look the same because they live in the similar environment and they also did things to survive in a similar way. It is said that the birds live at the same time with the dinosaurs did fly but not as well as a modern birds. It is because of their features which are the same with the reptiles. The features of the birds and dinosaurs are touted as the missing link between them. The relationship between birds, dinosaurs and evolution of flight is more complex. It is because some paleontologists believe that birds developed from dinosaurs where as some paleontologists believe that some dinosaurs developed from the birds.


Reference:


Wikipedia contributors. Birds [Internet] the free encyclopedia, 2006 May 14, 23:56 UTC [Cited 2006 May 14:00]. Available from:
http://en.Wikipedia.org/Wiki/Birds

Wikipedia contributors. Dinosaurs [Internet] the free encyclopedia, 2006 May 15, 04:56 UTC [cited 2006 May 15:23]. Available from:
http://en.Wikipedia.org/Wiki/Dinosaurs


Lizzy Maluleke
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