Random Compelling Evidence Birds Are Just Dinosaurs Living Among Us (14 items)

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  (#8) The Ankle Controversy

  Not everyone buys the dinosaur-bird link and, for many years, naysayers pointed to the difference between dino and bird ankles. While dinosaurs showed an upward projection off of their ankle bone, birds showed this "ascending process" from their heel bone. This might seem like a small difference to non-paleontologists, but it’s been a point of contention for many studying the relationships between birds and dinosaurs.

  Fortunately, for those distraught over the incongruity, a study done in 2015 shed light on the controversy. According to researchers, the ascension only appears to come from the ankle bone in dinosaurs and heel bone in birds. In reality, it originates from a third and shared bone in both animals called the intermedium.
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  (#11) A Theropod’s Guide to Protecting Nest Eggs

  While dinosaurs laid their eggs in nests, different dinos cared for their eggs in different ways. Many dinosaurs buried eggs under the dirt, but theropods laid their eggs in open nests - much like many of today’s birds. This instinct is thought to have led theropods to construct their nests in places other than the ground, possibly contributing to a higher rate of survival for their offspring.
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  (#6) Two Legs Are Better Than Four

  All birds are bipedal - meaning they walk on two legs - which makes sense, considering their forelimbs are most often used for flight. However, even with popular dinos such as Tyrannosaur and Velociraptor around, most people fail to recognize that many dinosaurs were bipedal too. Whether dinosaurs started as bipedal, only evolving into quadrupeds when they grew too large, or they stood up on their hind legs to meet the demands and competition of their environment is still being debated.
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  (#9) Would You Like Rocks With Your Meal?

  Gastroliths, also known as "gizzard stones" are rocks or pebbles an animal purposely swallows to aid with digestion. The rough and sharp rocks help break down the food in an animal’s stomach, eventually being vomited up and replaced by new stones when they’ve been rendered smooth. Fossils have revealed that several species of dinosaurs utilized gizzard stones. Gastroliths are found in some reptiles and marine animals, but most prominently in birds.
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  (#7) Zero Out Of Four Chiropractors Approve Of Dino Posture

  One of the reasons bipedalism isn’t always obvious in dinosaurs has to do with their elongated appearance - a more common characteristic of quadrupeds. And while there are notable exceptions like ostriches and flamingos, most modern-day birds also favor a more horizontal posture.

  Crouched stances in theropods are thought to have started with the development of larger forearms. This adaptation, which may have allowed certain theropods to grasp with their claws, eventually led to the evolution of wings in avian-dinosaurs.
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  (#4) Hollow Bones Made For Better Breathing

  Dinosaur fossils showcasing hollow bones are not new. However, evidence pointing to their exact role and connection to modern-day birds is continually being revealed.

  Hollow bones are one of the characteristics that make birds capable of flight. But this lightweight feature also helps birds to breath more efficiently. While humans and other mammals have diaphragms that allow their lungs to change in volume, birds (and their theropod ancestors) use bones along their rib cage called uncinate processes to help pump air in and out of their lungs. This respiratory distinction is thought to have made predatory theropods fast on their feet, and has given birds a conservation measure during the costly energy expenditure of flight.

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