Dino Might

An article in the journal Science
revealed that the velociraptor’s arm bones clearly had evenly spaced
feather quill knobs. This was a relatively small dinosaur, weighing
about 30 pounds and being three feet tall and about five feet long.
Although paleontologists are not certain if it could truly fly or
merely glide, this new discovery adds strength to the decades of
speculation that modern birds evolved from dinosaurs millions of years
ago.

Another recent finding adds even more
credibility to the dinosaur-to-bird theory. Modern birds have a unique
breathing system. Unlike humans with a chest that expands and
contracts, birds have small bellows or air sacs that invade many bones.
This efficient breathing mechanism allows high altitude flight and
reduces body weight. 

Remains of a flesh-eating dinosaur,
recently unearthed in Argentina, indicate the same breathing system
found in modern birds. Although a few scientists cast doubt on the idea
that birds are modern-day dinosaurs, the majority accept the link.

As the most highly evolved and
intelligent creatures on earth, it is likely that most of us take for
granted or completely ignore our feathered friends. Although birds show
incredible variety in color, size and behavior, only devoted nature
lovers spend time thinking about these winged creatures or the myriad
of other animals and plants that co-habitate our natural world.

The next time you see a bird in flight,
it might be worth contemplating the wondrous path that nature has taken
in transforming a creature such as a dinosaur into a bird. While the
developments of modern technology, medicine, science, space flight and
all the rest of our advances are truly outstanding, they pale in
comparison to the miraculous achievements brought forth through
evolution.