Just as other prehistoric lifeforms such as insects or cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), the dinosaur lineage are still with us today. Evolutionary adaptation seems to keep pace with the changes in the environment of the Earth. While some lifeforms such as cyanobacteria and insects seem to be nearly perfectly adapted without a need for radical morphological change for any of the Earth's periods, others such as dinosaurs needed to change quite significantly. The larger theropod (T-rex) and sauropod (Brontosaurs) dinosaur varieties were not well adapted to change and subsequently had a glorious run then mostly disappeared for a variety of reasons. The small theropod dinosaurs such as Ornitholestes (illustrated above) on the other hand had a future, but would still need adaptations along the way to adjust to the ever-changing environments in which they continued to evolve. That form would be what we now refer to as birds.
While the small dinosaur Ornitholestes is long since extinct, her basic biology was solid enough in her close genetic cousins, for instance, to adapt to flight or even lose their teeth completely in favor of a beak. It it is not difficult to imagine, when looking at a modern Cassowary for example, to really get an idea of just how these small theropods looked or even moved around and behaved during the Jurassic Period. Feathers as a flock of fur (a type of scale actually) would have come around first to provide warmth and dryness....and would then further be adapted for flight. Close examination of fossil evidence now confirms that virtually ALL theropod dinosaurs were covered in some form of insulating feather/fur. The Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods were a large chunk of the Earth's history and had plenty of cold and wet climates, feathers would have been nearly tantamount to long term survival.
Having chicken for dinner tonight? Well, you're eating a dinosaur.
High resolution stock illustration available for commercial use Here
While the small dinosaur Ornitholestes is long since extinct, her basic biology was solid enough in her close genetic cousins, for instance, to adapt to flight or even lose their teeth completely in favor of a beak. It it is not difficult to imagine, when looking at a modern Cassowary for example, to really get an idea of just how these small theropods looked or even moved around and behaved during the Jurassic Period. Feathers as a flock of fur (a type of scale actually) would have come around first to provide warmth and dryness....and would then further be adapted for flight. Close examination of fossil evidence now confirms that virtually ALL theropod dinosaurs were covered in some form of insulating feather/fur. The Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods were a large chunk of the Earth's history and had plenty of cold and wet climates, feathers would have been nearly tantamount to long term survival.
Having chicken for dinner tonight? Well, you're eating a dinosaur.
High resolution stock illustration available for commercial use Here
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