Proof that Song Thrushes still share DNA with the Velociraptor? (1 Viewer)

[Gianni68]

Never seen anything like it - a mouse ran at full speed from under a rubbish bin about 5m away from me in the local cemetery, crossing 2m of gravel path and disappearing into the bushes on the other side. Hard on its heels a Song Thrush, running (!) in full pursuit. I didn't get to see the finale; both protagonists had vanished without a sound when I inspected the bushes a few seconds later.

The only explanation I can think of is that the upstart mouse had appropriated some morsel on which the angry bird had set its heart. But I was still pretty flabbergasted by the sight; I'd never have guessed that a Song Thrush could (or would want to) run that fast!

Anybody with similar observations out there?

Regards,

 

[Tired]

That's pretty funny. Too bad you didn't get a picture.

I don't know if modern birds are directly descended from Velociraptor as opposed to something else, but all modern birds are dinosaurs. Dinosaurs split into several groups early on in their evolution. One of those groups was Theropoda, and a branch of that eventually gave rise to Aves. Because birds are both descended from dinosaurs, and still relatively similar in many ways, they're considered to still be dinosaurs.

The fastest dinosaur ever to live is a species still alive today. It feeds on other dinosaurs, which it kills by striking them at such great speeds that they frequently die on impact. And that's pretty cool.

 

[i.like.birds]

That is amazing! I would love to have seen the thrush running like that.

The fastest dinosaur ever to live is a species still alive today. It feeds on other dinosaurs, which it kills by striking them at such great speeds that they frequently die on impact. And that's pretty cool.

Tired, do tell what dinosaur you speak of.

 

[Tired]

Peregrine falcons. You can find some videos online of them hitting prey, and they hit hard.

 

[jayp]

So if I remember correctly, Velociraptors are theropods, which is a clade (a group) of dinosaurs that includes the birds. So yes, all birds are dinosaurs but specifically, all birds are theropod dinosaurs, the group to which Velociraptor and T. rex belong. Beyond that, I'd have to dig deeper and try to bring myself up to speed. But it's probably most accurate to say that Velocirapor and modern birds share a more recent common ancestor than birds do with all other creatures that are not theropods.