Re: The Continuing Story of Gliders to Dinosaurs

[Stanley Friesen <sarima@ix.netcom.com>]

At 05:10 PM 9/29/99 -0400, Grant Harding wrote:
>Now, could a jerboa-analogous, cursorial, leaping _Marasuchus_ have had
>descendants adapted for arboreality, which then *retained* the leaping
>ability and evolved into indri-analogous vertical tree-leapers?  This would
>make sense.  Any problems with the idea?  (Like, for example, in becoming
>adapted for climbing, would they have automatically *lost* the leaping
>ability, thus making this phylogeny less credible?)
>
This is certainly a possibility.  My take is that all it would need to be
scansorial (at least) would be claws, especially manual claws, suitable for
clinging to a tree trunk.

[Also, I think the indri may the lemur that leaps sideways].
>
>P.S. Where is _Marasuchus_ generally classified on the ornithosuchian family
>tree?

Pretty much always a close sister group to Dinosauria.
[Indeed, since the type of _Lagosuchus_ lacks apomorphies, _Lagosuchus_
could actually *be* a dinosaur ancestor].

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May the peace of God be with you.         sarima@ix.netcom.com