Re-emergence of lost features

[bh162@scn.org (Phillip Bigelow)]

> Are any examples of normal-winged birds with throw-back clawed hands
> ever found?

In addition to the hoatzin chick (which isn't a "throw-back" at all, but
simply a case of an extended period of manus development
outside of the egg), there have also been reports of clawed
wings on chickens showing up from time to time.

> And why did the phorusrhacoids lose out to the early
> carnivorous mammals when a similar design survived for so long before?

>JJ


Phorusrhacoids may not have lost out to early carnivorans.
A more likely scenario is that these birds were specialized to
prey only on one or two prey species which happened to be
going extinct.

                   <pb>

--
                 Phil Bigelow
                 bh162@scn.org