Archaeopteryx Had Velociraptor's Metabolism

Galvasean

In depth studies of the bones of Archaeopteryx, the 'missing link' between dinosaurs and birds have revealed that it had a metabolism and rate of growth similar to non-flying dinosaurs, such as Velociraptor, as opposed to the faster metabolic rate observed in modern birds. This should probably not come as too much of a surprise as Archaeopteryx was a very primitive bird and is considered to have been an awkward flier.
The studies have also shown that all of the Archaeopteryx specimens found to date are from individuals which had not reached adulthood. The revised size of a full grown Archaeopteryx would be about that of a modern day raven (as opposed to a crow). This may go some way to eplain the apparent awkwardness of Archaeopteryx in flight. Perhaps they became more capable fliers withage and maturity? Until fully grown specimens are found, we will not be certain.

'When first I looked at the Archaeopteryx, it looked like lizard bone,' says Erickson. 'This told me right off the bat that Archaeopteryx was an animal that grew slowly. This was a surprise and not what was expected for a same-sized living bird.' In fact, analysis of numerous fossils showed the team that dinosaurs grew more slowly, pound for pound, than living birds, and that bird-like metabolic characteristics were not present in the ancestor of Archaeopteryx and modern birds. The team outlines a growth curve that indicates that Archaeopteryx reached adult size in about 970 days, that none of the known Archaeopteryx specimens are adults (confirming previous speculation), and that adult Archaeopteryx were probably the size of a raven, much larger than previously thought.

'Archaeopteryx had comparable metabolism to closely related Velociraptor,' says Norell. 'Although the genealogy of birds is well understood, the genesis of modern bird biology has been a huge mystery. We knew that they are a kind of dinosaur, but we now know that the transition into true birds - physiologically and metabolically - happened well after Archaeopteryx.'

Adds Erickson: 'We show that avian flight was achieved with the physiology of a dinosaur.

Full article here.


llustration by Todd Marshall