Re: NO SECONDARILY FLIGHTLESS THEROPODS

[Jeffrey Martz <martz@holly.ColoState.EDU>]

> Some penguins have really rather long forelimbs, and I find the attempt to
> use the large forelimb of dromaeosaurs as evidence against loss of flight
> far from convincing.

     Its also worth noting that secondarily flightless birds dropped out
of flying when they had already become much more modified for flight then
_Archaeopteryx_. The adaptations of a secondarily flightless immediate
descendant of _Archaeopteryx_ (Or a close relative) and the secondarily
flightless descnedant of of neornithine bird SHOULD differ, because they
started out with different material.  
     In the case of forelimb size neornithines can't use them for much but
flying, because they are too modified along those lines, so a secondarily
flightless descendant would be expected to have atrophied wings. However,
_Archaeopteryx_ still has unfused fingers and claws, so a descendant (like
the dromeosaurs) might still be able to get some functional use out of
them if it stopped flying.
     Don't forget evolutionary heritage when discussing functional
morphology!

LN Jeff