Dinosaur-to-Bird Transition
Science · Dinosaurs & Paleontology · conceptual
Trace the evidence for the dinosaur-to-bird transition in depth: feathered theropods from the Liaoning Formation (China), the mix of dinosaur and bird features in Archaeopteryx, and the competing ground-up versus trees-down hypotheses for the origin of flight
What mastery looks like
- Describes at least three specific feathered theropod fossils (e.g. Microraptor, Anchiornis, Sinosauropteryx) and what each tells us
- Describes Archaeopteryx as showing a mix of bird features (feathers, wishbone) and dinosaur features (teeth, clawed wings, long bony tail)
- Outlines the ground-up (running and leaping) and trees-down (gliding from trees) hypotheses for flight origin and the evidence supporting each
Check your understanding
If Dinosaur-to-Bird Transition was told that a sparrow is technically a living dinosaur, could they explain the chain of fossil evidence that supports this — naming at least one key transitional fossil and describing what makes it part dinosaur, part bird?
Prerequisites
Required first