Are birds living dinosaurs?
Scientists who study meat-eating dinosaurs, known as theropods, have noted their similarity to living birds. Stan’s feet, for instance, are very bird-like in appearance. Recent discoveries of wishbones, called furculas, in theropods (including T.rex), and feather-like structures preserved with theropod skeletons from China, provide further evidence. In addition, the bones in Stan’s neck and body are also thin-walled and ‘airy’ with an inside ‘honeycomb’ structure. These same features are found today only in birds, and double as part of their respiratory system (consisting of lungs and air-sacs). Birds breathe in a very different way from other animals. They have a network of air-sacs which occupy the bones and one-way lungs with two openings. Birds’ lungs are constantly bathed with fresh oxygen, giving them energy for a very active life. These similarities lead many scientists to conclude that birds are living theropod dinosaurs. Male or female? Over thirty incomplete skeletons of T.re
Related Questions
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