RE: Who says dromaeosaurs can't fly?

[Ronald Orenstein <ornstn@rogers.com>]

At 03:12 PM 16/09/02 +0000, Brian Lauret wrote:
> I think we're getting a bit off subject by now.But I do want to give my 
> view on the entire issue.
> I personally think the earliest evolution of birds may be unresolvable by 
> cladistic methods because I view the earliest bird (this is very debatable 
> of course,it's totally conjectural from my side) as the earliest arboreal 
> dinosaur with at the ability to fly.

Well, on what basis do you make this assumption? What is an "ability to 
fly", anyway?  And why are you defining a taxonomic group on an 
undemonstrable and unmeasurable character (rather than, say, a set of 
reasonably unequivocal morphological features)?  It seems to me the problem 
is with your definition of birds, not with cladistic methods.  But I don't 
see why cladistics cannot be used to define any taxonomic group including 
all species stemming from a common ancestor, whatever that ancestor was.

--
Ronald I. Orenstein                           Phone: (905) 820-7886
International Wildlife Coalition              Fax/Modem: (905) 569-0116
1825 Shady Creek Court
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 3W2          mailto:ornstn@rogers.com