1.Early birds had small, thick skulls and two toes on each foot. Archaeopteryx h
ID: 98821 • Letter: 1
Question
1.Early birds had small, thick skulls and two toes on each foot. Archaeopteryx had a long, almost pointy skull, and three toes on each foot. Early birds and Archaeopteryx shared the traits of feathers, clawed hands, and a long, bony tail. Examine the two trees presented in the figure below. Assuming that Xiaotingia shared traits with Archaeopteryx that neither of them shared with birds and looking only at the traits presented here, which of the trees shows the most likely relationship between these three animals? Support your answer by indicating which tree branch is initiated by which characteristic.
Explanation / Answer
The Xu’s dinosaur bird tree gives the detailed idea of the evolution fof birds and Archaeopteryx which might have evolved parallel and simultaneously sharing same common traits.
Theropods: Birds and dinosaurs are descendant of theropods meaning big foot. Diet and availability of food was major concern for evolution of birds and dinosaurs animals dependant on small insects have evolve in to insects with small legs and skull with flying capacity like in case of small birds which have evolved into modern birds of today and animals requiring more diets and food have evolved into big size creatures like archaeopteryx with three toes on foot but with no flying capacity.
Deinonychosaurs : Deinonychosaurs were medium size dinosaurs little bigger than birds hence place in other family the other name is Dromaeosauridae known as running lizard as most of organisms of this family were carnivores and had to run for their prey they developed strong foot with sharp and extra toes with that of their counterpart birds the developed toes and legs were used to carry their body weight and hunting of small animals.
Archaeopteryx : These dinosaurs were placed in different group in Deinonychosaurs family due to presence of plumage and feathers which is characteristic feature of this group
The striking feature which prevents saying of the birds are of descendant from dinosaurs is that presence of femur bone which prevent air sac lung collapsing by maintain lung function during flight bit dinosaur lack this femur bone if femur bone was present some of relationship would have been created but due absence of this characteristic feature they have evolved parallel.
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