First Flying Dinosaurs Had Biplane Structure

unchiujar writes to mention a BBC article about the design of the first flying dinosaurs. These possible early ancestors of avians apparently resembled biplanes in many ways, with legs hanging down in a fashion similar to WWI fighters. The researchers who made this discovery use this to argue the 'trees down' model of flight evolution, but the article points out this design may possibly be a failed evolutionary experiment. From the article: "Dr Chatterjee, from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, US, explained that two lines of evidence had led the team to this conclusion. Firstly, the researchers argue, dinosaurs and birds move their legs in a vertical plane, not sideways as the tandem flight pattern requires. Secondly, the feathers on Microraptor's hind legs are asymmetrical; one of the two vanes that extend either side of the shaft is narrower than the other. Aerodynamically, the narrow leading edge of these feathers should face forward in flight, against the direction of airflow. This would have given the flying reptiles lift. "

Comments

Re:Not designed properly

[Punko]

Except it wasn't the first design for non-insect flying animals.

Pterosaurs preceeding flying dinosaurs by 75 million years. Pterosaurs were single winged and enormously successful.

Modern birds evolved from the first flying dinosaurs, not from Pterosaurs, although Pterosaurs and dinosaurs had a common ancestor.

There are 4 independant times flight evolved: Insects, pterosaurs, birds, and mammals. 4 different wing structures developed, and in the latter 3 cases, 3 different bone arrangments to support the wings.

Re:Flamewar in 3. . .2. . .1

[Big Smirk]

Without flaming your question. I assume what your really meant was "How did they evolve".

Assume for a moment that feather like structures were already in nature. (Think hair or quills like porcupine)

Now, if you lived in the trees, like squirrels, it might be advantages to stay in the trees and avoid predators that walk along the ground. So to find food, you either climbed down quickly, and run to the next tree -or- you jump from tree to tree.

If you had feathers you could probably jump further, meaning you can reach trees that your less endowed friends couldn't. Making them the more likely target for said predators. So you breed and they become food for predators. So the offspring will have traits that promote far flying or gliding.

Lets see, 200000000 years of dinosaurs. Lets estimate an average lifespan of 10 years, lets also estimate 2 years of age is old enough to breed and that they lay 4 eggs every year. That's, err, a lot of tries. You do the math.