Re: [dinosaur] Avian tail ontogeny and interpretation of juvenile Mesozoic specimens (free pdf)

["David Marjanovic" <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

The abstract is very promising, I've downloaded the paper and will read it... 
but I can't resist pointing out two things:

> The avian tail played a critical role in the evolutionary transition from 
> long- to short-tailed birds

That's the most perfectly tautological sentence I've encountered in quite a 
while. :-)

> In addition, this analysis of avian tail development reveals the generation 
> and loss of intervertebral discs in the pygostyle

I thought archosaurs aren't supposed to have intervertebral discs at all? They 
were apparently lost several times in sauropsids and are retained in geckos... 
but...