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Science

Odin2005

(53,521 posts)

12. The base of the evolutionary tree is really messy.

Reply to hedgehog (Reply #11)

Mon May 28, 2012, 02:04 PM

May 2012

What we do know is that the gamefowl-waterfowl group are near the base, along with tinamous and ratite birds (ostriches, emus, rheas, kiwis).

The common ancestor of living (Neornithean) birds was likely a shorebird. Before the end-Cretaceous mass extinction there was many other bird groups that were far more common than early Neornithes.

http://palaeos.com/vertebrates/aves/neornithes.html

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13 replies

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Massive, Huge tree of life. [View all] Odin2005 May 2012 OP

Love it ! Thanks for posting. BlueJazz May 2012 #1

is that Jeb Bush as "The" human? AlecBGreen May 2012 #2

ACK, it does look like Jeb! Odin2005 May 2012 #4

Beautiful! Thanks! nt Sarah Ibarruri May 2012 #3

perhaps that (at the link) was easier for you to see. iemitsu May 2012 #5

It's a PDF so you can zoom it in EvolveOrConvolve May 2012 #7

thanks, i made it larger too. iemitsu May 2012 #10

Wow, this is wonderful! CaliforniaPeggy May 2012 #6

You are welcome, Peggy! Odin2005 May 2012 #9

A much, much larger and more complete tree can be found here: Occulus May 2012 #8

So chickens and ducks split off before other birds, hedgehog May 2012 #11

The base of the evolutionary tree is really messy. Odin2005 May 2012 #12

Do you know the date of that? muriel_volestrangler May 2012 #13