Question

Which characters of the fossils of dinosaur indicate that reptiles are closely related to birds

Answer 1

Characters of the fossils of dinosaur indicate that reptiles are closely related to birds

The general principle states that the present is the key to the past. Dinosaurs are creatures of the past but from their fossils, it’s evident that they are actually related to the present day birds. The shape of the pelvis is one of the most common characters that link birds to dinosaurs. The feature of the pelvic girdle shows that dinosaur-Deinonychus and the earliest fossil bird Archaeopteryx are closely related; suggesting that birds are closely related to dinosaurs.

Further, birds have feathers and reptiles have tough beaded skin or scales. Although birds don’t resemble any living reptile, scientists suggest that birds actually evolved from reptiles. One of the characteristic that makes scientists believe so is that both birds and reptiles lay eggs  and share several skeletal characteristics, such as the way their jaws attaches to the skull. According to the fossils recovered from the Solnhofen Limestone of Germany, it’s true to say that birds and reptiles share a lot of characteristics. The fossils have a wishbone, consisting of the fused clavicle bones so typical of birds and closely resemble small theropod dinosaurs.

Another fossil in China suggest that theropods had feathers, providing more evidence for this relationship. We cannot exhaust the characteristics relating birds to reptiles but we have discussed some rigid and proved evidence that relate birds to reptiles and dinosaurs.