Re: Paedomorphosis ( Re: BARYONYX' CLAWS )

["Matthew Troutman" <m_troutman@hotmail.com>]

<<This is nonsense. It is not aerial flight, and calling it "flight" 
won't make it flight. Their  wings have adapted to a particular kind of 
swimming, just as theropods wings have adapted to a particular kind of 
predation--and evidently neither group needed much in the way of 
paedomorphic transformations to accomplish this.>>

     Basically, the penguin, auk, and plotopterid "flippers" are 
modified wings. They use their wings in a manner similiar to volant 
birds. These birds still have a functional flight apparatus, but where 
they are different from volant birds is in their forelimbs structure, 
which is more robust. Penguins, auks, and plotopterids are essentially 
still fliers, just in a water medium. Comparing these forelimbs to 
theropod forelimbs is an utterly different comparison. Theropod 
forelimbs are lack many volant characteristics, whereas penguins, auks, 
and plotopterids still retain these volant characteristics. The basic 
theropod shoulder girdle is utterly different from the penguin, auk, and 
plotopterids. And the penguin, auk, and plotopterids still use the same 
basic flying motions.

Penguins, auks, and plotopterids since they still use their forelimbs as 
a locomotor ( for submarine flight ) are really not flightless. Go back 
and reread my previous post; even though the three groups are not aerial 
fliers, they still do fly, using the same basic adaptations, underwater. 
Just because your common corvid does not fly underwater, but flies in 
air, does not mean that it is flightless. Let me stress this point 
again; using the same features as aerial flight, penguins, auks, and 
plotopterids "fly" underwater. Their type of flight is more advanced and 
is even stronger than that of aerial flight. Using their forelimbs in a 
matter similiar to flapping flight, the three groups are still fliers, 
just not in the air. 

Now, I want to reiterate this, the stages of penguin and auk ( and 
probably plotopterid ) flight can be considered a smooth transition from 
aerial flier, aerial-submarine flier, and submarine flight. Here are the 
steps:

1) A gull-like or petrel-like bird that is an aerial flier, lives near 
the sea and makes its living from it.
2) A diving petrel-like or razor bill-like bird moves through the air 
and sea using the same motions.
3) The final stage where the penguins and auks form, using the same 
forelimb motions as flying, and the same features as flying, the bird 
becomes a full submarine flier.

Let me review ( and ramble on :-)  ) submarine flight using penguins as 
an example. The penguin still has a functional flight apparatus, a 
prominent carina, an even more robust furcula than fliers, a folding 
forelimb with a large ulnarae, prominent deltoid and bicipital crests, 
and aerodynamic feathers. Its forelimbs still have the basic motions 
that flying animals have. It still tucks its feet up like a flier. It 
still needs the fine neurosensory control of a flier. Its body still has 
the same streamlined shape. And it had a smooth transition from aerial 
fliers, to aerial-submarine fliers, to the stage it is at today. 
Submarine flight is basically the same ( and is even more strenuous than 
aerial flight ) as aerial flight. So basically there are two types of 
flight : aerial and submarine, and submarine flight is descended from 
aerial flight. Capisce?

MattTroutman

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