Comment on "Narrow primary feather rachises in Confuciusornis and Archaeopteryx suggest poor flight ability".
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چکیده
Nudds and Dyke (Reports, 14 May 2010, p. 887) compared the rachis diameters of the primary feathers of Archaeopteryx and Confuciusornis to those of modern birds and found that the primary feathers of these two basal birds were too weak to support sustained flight. Our measurements of Confuciusornis specimens suggest that their conclusions need to be further evaluated.
منابع مشابه
Response to Comments on “Narrow Primary Feather Rachises in Confuciusornis and Archaeopteryx Suggest Poor Flight Ability”
Paul and Zheng et al. challenge our conclusions regarding the flight of Confuciusornis and Archaeopteryx, which derive from our method of assessing flight ability from estimated feather strength. They suggest that our mass and rachis data for these fossil birds are incorrect. Neither comment, however, invalidates our method nor alters conclusions of poor flight ability based upon our original d...
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متن کاملNarrow primary feather rachises in Confuciusornis and Archaeopteryx suggest poor flight ability.
The fossil birds Archaeopteryx and Confuciusornis had feathered wings resembling those of living birds, but their flight capabilities remain uncertain. Analysis of the rachises of their primary feathers shows that the rachises were much thinner and weaker than those of modern birds, and thus the birds were not capable of flight. Only if the primary feather rachises were solid in cross-section (...
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ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Science
دوره 330 6002 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2010