Re: theropod phylogenies

["Tim Williams" <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Darren Naish <darren.naish@port.ac.uk> wrote:

> while cladistics consistently supports the nesting of birds within 
> Theropoda, even if you are a vehement frothing-at-the-mouth never-to-
> be-converted angry ANTI-cladist, simple morphological comparison will
> convince you that birds are theropods. Indeed, note that many who support 
> the theropod nature of birds are highly critical of cladistics (e.g., 
> Bakker, Frey).

Last I heard, Peter Dodson and John Ostrom were also highly critical of 
cladistics; and both favor an origin for birds among theropod dinosaurs.  
The idea that birds-are-dinosaurs is merely a cladist obsession (or 
'Movement' sensu Olson) is a mischaracterization of the debate.



Tim

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