4-winged Dino Documentary

What fossils in China uncovered

raptors and other related dinosaurs should have had feathers

-Tyrannosaur, Oviraptor, and other advance theropods had feathers

-Feathers useful for insulation (may have been original function), bluff enemy, attract mate, show off

ground up flight theory

-Could have been adapted for flight as dino’s became smaller a

-Issue that with this, are always working against gravity

arboreal theory

• ancestor was climbing animal that evolved flight from gliding

• made them suspect dino origin of birds is false because no known dinosaurs could climb up trees like this

features Xu and friends found through microraptor

-Asymmetrical wing feathers

-Unlike modern birds, microraptors had not evolved specialized shoulders, thus believe gliding came before flight

Modern birds and how they relate to microraptor

- Could run from birth and over time as they grow develop powered flight

- Believes its primitive developmental process that parallels evolution of what happened between theropods and modern birds

- Makes sense but microraptors had feathered feet but Ken says fossils not enough to disprove him

Xu’s genius realization for wind tunnel

• Xu wants to extend leg almost straight back to form canopy over the tail

• Lift is high with this design, this produces highest lift and lowest drag

• Makes for long, fast glide and when it needs to stop could use biplane model

• Would jump from top of tree and moves leg orientation to slow down

• Microraptor in same clan as deinonychus, may be from similar body plan as ancestor of birds