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Re:Fwd: Bird/Reptile fossil



John V. Jackson wrote: 

SNIP  ...sadly I
must also inform you that not only is "bambi" a reptile, and a dinosaur,
it is also a bird, and it isn't feinbergi !  ;-
While this young dromaeosaur (_Bambiraptor_) is clearly a maniraptoran theropod dinosaur -- and a very bird-like one at that -- the assignment of "bambi" to "birds" is Mr. Jackson's opinion, and as such concurs roughly with the hypotheses put forth by only a minority of paleontologists at present.  You may read more on his page:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/2099/DinoKabin.html

I point this out not to say that Mr. Jackson is wrong in his contention; I just thought it prudent to point out that his view does not represent the consensus of the paleontological community at this time, although, as scientists, paleontologists must be willing to consider alternative evolutionary hypotheses as new material becomes available and research continues.  John V. Jackson is well aware of his "outsider" status, and his web page makes this abundantly clear.  On the other hand, Mr. Jackson will not get any arguments with his statement that _Bambiraptor_ is a reptile and a dinosaur.

_Bambiraptor_ looks like a wonderful specimen, however you choose to "pigeonhole" it, and the Florida Symposium on Dinosaur Bird Evolution should apparently provide a forum for a diversity of opinions to be heard.   

   


-- Ralph W. Miller III      gbabcock@best.com