Re: Yet more on pterosaur quad arm posture

[Dr Ronald Orenstein <ron.orenstein@rogers.com>]

Strigops also uses its beak as a climbing tool. 

Ronald Orenstein 
1825 Shady Creek Court
Mississauga, ON
Canada L5L 3W2
ronorenstein.blogspot.com

On 2013-07-11, at 11:01 PM, Jason Brougham <jaseb@amnh.org> wrote:

> OK, my incredule, here is a flightless Weka (Gallirallus australis) in a
> shrub:
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/trs/3476131920/
> 
> And, as I say, chicks and pinioned birds that can't fly do it too. Of course 
> Strigops does as well, but it is zygodactylous, after all.
> 
> Jason Brougham
> Senior Principal Preparator
> American Museum of Natural History
> jaseb@amnh.org
> (212) 496 3544
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 7/11/13 5:59 PM, "David Marjanovic" <david.marjanovic@gmx.at> wrote:
> 
>>>>> they climb up there
>>>> 
>>>> I bet this refers to WAIR. A seriema walking up a tree trunk like a
>>> nuthatch is really hard to imagine.
>>> 
>>> But as I was saying, this referred to the mammalogist's definition. So
>>> climbing (with claws or with prehensile feet or what have you) is the
>>> way to get up in the trees.
>>> 
>>> So again: to mammalogists, arboreal vs. scansorial is more about WHERE
>>> the animal lives & feeds vs. rests, whereas to ornithologists it is
>>> about how they get there.
>> 
>> ...Not what I'm saying. I'm not talking about whether seriemas should be
>> classified as arboreal, scansorial or anything; I'm expressing
>> incredulity at the explicit claim that they climb up low trees instead of
>> flying there.
>