RE: Smart-winged pterosaurs

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> david peters
>
> In Nature, David Unwin wrote:
> "whereas pterosaurs inherited their [brain]s from relatively
> small-brained archosaurs [then cited Bennett, S. C. Zool. J.
> Linn. Soc. 118, 261-308 (1996)"
>
> Last I heard (Darren's notes from SVPCA a few years back) David
> Unwin was championing Sharovipteryx as a possible pterosaur
> ancestor. Has that gone by the way side? And if so, why?

Let's face it: whether they evolved from Sharovipteryx, from
prolacertiforms, or from Scleromochlus, pterosaurs evolved from
smaller-brained ancestors than the ancestors of birds! Encephalization of
theropods is greater than those of non-theropod dinosaurs; that of
coelurosaurs is greater than that of non-coelurosaurian theropods; and that
of eumaniraptorans (or maybe Maniraptora as a whole) greater than that of
non-eumaniraptoran coelurosaurs.  (Data from various studies, such as
Hopson, Larrsson, etc.)


                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
                College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/tholtz.htm
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
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