Re: Archaeopteryx flight

["David Marjanovic" <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim Williams" <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2001 12:13 AM

> To get back to the nest the young hoatzins use their beaks, necks and toes
> as well as their clawed fingers to clamber over twigs and branches.

...thereby showing that clawed fingers alone are not enough :-)

(thanks for the rest of info)

> >But I still claim that the
> >hands of hoatzin hatchlings are better suited to climbing than Archie's
> >because they are composed of considerably thicker, more robust-looking
> >bones
> >(including the unguals) -- Archie has very thin fingers actually.
>
> In other words, _Archaeopteryx_ had nice long supple fingers for grabbing
> onto tree branches.

I repeat: Archie has very thin fingers actually. Thin, not supple. Thin bone
+ skin apparently. Doesn't look strong, unlike in the hoatzin.