Pictures depot: 2011

Thursday, November 3, 2011

The origin of birds

Birds

The origin of birds is still a controversial issue. Most biologists believe that birds evolved from two legs dinosaurs, a theory that is supported by several discoveries of fossils in the last 150 years.
The discovery of Archaeopteryx, in particular, persuaded many people that dinosaurs are the origin of modern birds.

Found in Germany in 1860, Archaeopteryx is one of the most important fossil discoveries.
The fossils found so far appear to be from the Jurassic period, about 150 million years ago, and provided the first evidence of a creature that had characteristics common to dinosaurs and birds. Complete denture, a long bony tail and three claws on each wing shows its relation to the old dinosaurs. They also have feathers and a wishbone like the sternum of modern birds.

Birds

The understanding of the evolution of birds is always changing with the emergence of more fossils. Other fossils similar to the birds of the same period, were found in China, and fossils of birds from other strains were found in Asia, Europe, North America and South America