Re: Madagascan Flying Raptor is INDEED a Madagascan Flying Raptor...

[Michael Habib <mhabib5@jhmi.edu>]

> But here's a cool thing. Nearly everyone agrees that Rahonavis was 
> probably a flier. It is now a dromaeosaurid. We have flying
> dromaeosaurids.
>
> Here's another cool thing. Rahonavis is not at the base of 
> Unenlagiinae (Buitreraptor falls there), but it did retain/reverted to
> the ancestral eumaniraptoran size. Microraptor is comparably-sized, 
> and while not as long armed as Rahonavis likely also had some
> aerial ability.  As do basal avialians.

Very cool stuff!  The only thing that I still am skeptical on is the 
use of relative limb lengths as a predictor of aerial ability.  Amongst 
extant birds, at least, it is generally a very poor predictor of flight 
mode (as well as absence/presence of flight).  'Robustness' measures, 
combined with knowledge of length, do much better (especially cross 
sectional properties...yeah, okay, so I'm blowing my own horn a 
bit...see my SVP Abstract and poster next week for more details).

Cheers,
--Mike Habib