The consensus in the scientific community today is that some dinosaurs evolved into modern-day birds. The process didn’t happen overnight, but there is a clear line between such giant prehistoric beasts as the T-Rex and your standard city park pigeon. The path between then and now included one massive, dinosaur-like bird.
We tend to think of dinosaurs are large lizards. And this is mostly true, but over millions of years, many animals evolved from the ancient group of reptiles. Birds are closely related to crocodiles also. We know that several types of dinosaurs had wings and could fly, such as the pterodactyl.
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Two decades ago, paleontologists in China discovered dinosaur fossils with clear evidence of feathers. While these dinosaurs lacked wings, the feathers completely reshaped how the scientific community pictured prehistoric life. Most of our ideas of what dinosaur skin looked like came from best guesses based on bones, but these feathers were a revelation. The bird-dinosaur connection was becoming crystal clear.
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Many paleontologists point to the Archaeopteryx as the first bird. This bird is thought to have flown only in short bursts, much like a pheasant or turkey. The first fossil of this early bird was discovered in 1861, shortly after Charles Darwin published his ideas of natural selection. For 150 years, scientists focused on this animal as the missing link between dinosaurs and birds.
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The elephant bird or Virombe Titan was a giant flightless bird. Imagine a 1,500-pound ostrich. (Adult ostriches usually weigh 250 pounds.) Or, picture a smallish long-necked sauropod, which resembles a brontosaurus, decked out in feathers. But while this bird was as big as a dinosaur, it roamed the earth not too long ago.
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According to scientists, this giant bird is related to dinosaurs, like all birds, but it only became extinct during relatively recent times. Dinosaurs disappeared 65 million years ago. Previously, scientists thought that evolution pushed birds into increasingly smaller body shapes. Apparently, evolution worked differently for these massive birds. Researchers hope this new discovery will shed light on dinosaur evolution and their demise.
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