It's Becoming Very Clear That Birds Are Not Normal
1,887,861
Published 2023-04-25
A new discovery raises an important question: from an evolutionary perspective, who really has the stranger wings?
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References: docs.google.com/document/d/1DEq2A6Ttk5f11ZoDw2et47…
All Comments (21)
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the next time you think speculative evolution is weird, remember that hummingbirds are a theropod dinosaur filling the ecological niche of a bee.
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I'm nearly 40 years old, I cannot remember a time in my life where I have not been learning about dinosaurs and prehistory in general and still to this day I come across new things that I would never even have imagined. Every time I find something like this I feel like I am 5 years old and the world is brand new again.
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Did the earliest birds catch the earliest worms?
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Loved the video. I knew pterosaurs were featherless flyers and so are bats but didn't realize that membraned wings are such a common design that had developed independently so many times. I also didn't fully appreciate how unique feathered wings are. Long live the birds.
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7:45 "and if birds were to go extinct the skies of planet earth would be feather free and might remain that way forever" that enlightened me, just imagine how many prehistoric creatures had specialized features that were unique to them and never ever again these characteristics would return in any form Just imagine how many unique creatures could have evolved with how many special features that could have been there
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I was confused as to why this group went extinct, when bats became very successful. But the timeline cleared it up: This dinosaur group didn't disappear in the KPG-mass extinction, but long before that, right? Not because of a disaster, but because their niche was overtaken by more successful feathered dinosaurs.
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In this context, it's interesting to consider that many species of birds also have membranes -- for swimming. So they evolved both types of features.
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This video definitely shifted my perspective, noticing how common membrane wings are, and a new awe and respect how incredibly complex flight feathers are. Never going to look at them the same again.
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“Birds are weird” is probably the understatement of history of humanity. Still love them.
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These guys seem like the closest thing to having real dragons that existed in the past. I love them.
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visiting lapland it amazed me how abundant birds were there when it was so cold, incredible how such a small unprotected body seemed so comfortable in the freezing cold, incredible creatures
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I never thought about it like that, but objectively speaking birds are truly a crazy design. Their whole anatomy is wild. Of course, if they want to fly they have to have a body that is tailored for that. And man, their bodies are really, really tailored to flying, except for those few of them that can't fly, which is bizarre in its own right.
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It's interesting how birds essentially gave up an extra set of "hands" just for better flight. It kind of suggests that they depended on their beaks more and more over time, while depending on their hands/claws less and less. Like two parts of the body evolving together, in tandem, in different directions. Obviously flying had some major advantages for them.
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Even without references to dragons or dinosaurs, birds are magical creatures. As an artist who began drawing and painting terrestrial animals at an early age, I am now only interested in birds. They are endlessly fascinating.
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I'm kinda surprised there was no mention of insects in all this. There's a big group of insects that includes ants and bees whose name (hymenoptera) literally means "membrane wings". Though having exoskeletons, I guess the membrane there is pretty different from skin.
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Great hook, and loved the explanation. About that joke: It could be referring to Dean Martin, one of the OG crooners. He was called Dino (Dean-o), so... Dino Soars 🤷♂🤣
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It's a testament to how incredibly unique feathered birds are that they're still around and still so successful!
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I live with 6 adopted pigeons. I’m happy to confirm that birds are not normal! ❤
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Video idea: The birds that lived during the Mesozoic and survived into our era. I was really surprised to find out that our flying friends lived aside the dinosaurs for so long and with such numbers. How did they live and look back then? And what bird groups already split up their ancestry before arriving into our era?
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Look Around You really summed it up quite succintly for all time. "What are birds? We just don't know. ding "
