Re: A New Hypothesis for the Origin of Flight?

["Fam Jansma" <fam.jansma@worldonline.nl>]

You wrote:

>When they moved among branches, they
>didn't leap or glide, but simply extended their long
>tails behind them to counterbalance their forebodies
>when they reached for another branch. Longer arms and
>strong muscles would be favored, as would longer,
>stiffer, and heavier tails. The retroverted or reduced
>pubes and more pneumatic thoracic cavity in some forms
>may be an attempt to push the center of gravity
>backward, so the legs could fully extend the body
>forward, and still remain balanced on the perch. As
>they reached continually further, they might flail
>their arms, trying to grasp a branch or twig just out
>of reach....a precursor to flapping. The further they
>reached out, the more flapping would be needed to keep
>from tipping over (and hanging upside-down on the
>perch is counter-productive). Even if they did manage
>to get a good grip, powerful muscles would be needed
>to pull the body onto the next branch....a precursor
>to the avian flight musculature.


Pardon my sceptism, but wouldn't this just result in a big red spot on the
Liaoning ground? I do not mean to diss your hypothesis, not at all, it is
based on some impressive facts, but this is just plain suicide. After all,
when you try to grap a branch or for instance, trying to get a ball out of
the water, your friends hold you back in case you might fall. See the
friends as the elongated tail, but not always it works this way, like I have
experienced one time with a quick bath nature style. :)
And second, not all supposed arboreal dinosaurs had extremely elongated
tails, for instance, Archaeopteryx does not have an elongated tail. Should
we conclude than that it was a ground-living bird? The feathers tell another
tale, since they are assymetrical like modern flying birds. There is another
example of a supposed arboreal dinosaur who does not show the elongated
tail, but I am not allowed to say much more... Bwahahahaha! >:)

Rutger Jansma

Rutger Jansma