[HN Gopher] Body shape/mass distribution in birds and their dino...
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       Body shape/mass distribution in birds and their dinosaurian
       ancestors
        
       Author : ljf
       Score  : 42 points
       Date   : 2023-03-25 07:57 UTC (15 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.nature.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.nature.com)
        
       | 49erfangoniners wrote:
       | Dinosaurian is an underused adjective, I find
        
       | tomrod wrote:
       | I love these kinds of novel studies. Wonderful Saturday morning
       | reading.
        
         | ljf wrote:
         | Same, was a brilliant read with a coffee and set me thinking
         | for the day. So much added to my list of things I want to
         | understand better!
        
           | johndunne wrote:
           | Aye. Science is our super power, gifted us by evolution!
           | Thankfully we're in a time were we get to appreciate the
           | marvels of nature.
        
         | johndunne wrote:
         | It's mind blowing to appreciate how tiny changes between
         | generations playing out over millions of years has such a
         | significant impact on the 'original animals.' Imperfection of
         | one form leading to perfection of another.
        
       | programwiz wrote:
       | As some who doesn't know much about dinosaurs I always assumed
       | pterosaurs are ancestors of birds and not theropods. Interesting
       | to learn theropods were the ancestors.
        
         | yareally wrote:
         | If you ever live with a parrot long enough, you'll realize
         | they're really little feathered dinosaurs and start to imagine
         | many of their behaviors aren't too far off from their extinct
         | relatives.
         | 
         | I've had a couple for over a half a decade and they surprise me
         | with their intelligence and their behaviors every day. Decided
         | they might be the pet for me after studying birds in the wild
         | for many years before that.
         | 
         | That said, they're also a handful and don't suggest anyone
         | adopt or buy one on a whim. They tend to latch onto one person.
         | In my case, they love my wife more than me, but we're still
         | "bros". That means they stop caring about attention from me as
         | soon as she walks into the room. It's a little annoying, but
         | that's just the way they are with bonding to a mate for life.
         | 
         | Many parrot rescues will let you foster one for a while, just
         | to get an idea if they're the kind of companion you would want
         | long term
        
         | Swizec wrote:
         | Cooler still, pterosaurs aren't even dinosaurs!
         | 
         | https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-a-pterosau...
         | 
         | Flight is interesting because it's so useful that it evolved at
         | least 4 separate times. Pterosaurs, birds, insects, bats.
         | 
         | If you include gliding or falling with style in your definition
         | of flight, then it evolved even more times. Sugar gliders and
         | flying squirrels for example. Completely unrelated. Both have a
         | similar solution to gliding. Some snakes can glide too!
        
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       (page generated 2023-03-25 23:02 UTC)