Re: labels are imaginary

["Nicholas J. Pharris" <pharrinj@PLU.edu>]

On Sun, 4 Feb 1996, Jeffrey Martz wrote:

> 
> > The point is, I don't see the *usefulness* of separating birds from the 
> > rest of the dinosaurs (aside from dumb stuff like being able to say 
> > "dinosaurs are extinct").  I don't know if "dinosaur" is the best name 
> > for the descendants of the last common ancestor of _Iguanodon_ and 
> > _Gallus_, but apparently it's what were stuck with.
> 
>     How about endothermy, the possesion of feathers (not proven for any 
> dinosaurian group no matter what anyone says) and flight?  Birds have 
> been going thier own way and doing thier own thing evolutionarily since 
> the Jurassic.  
> 

What about endothermy?  All dinosaurs were/are endothermic.  I also 
believe that many Cretaceous theropods were descendants of Jurassic birds.

> LN Jeff
> 

Nick Pharris
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
(206)535-8204
PharriNJ@PLU.edu

"If you can't convince them, confuse them." -- Harry S. Truman