Bird neurocranial and body mass evolution across the end-Cretaceous mass extinction: The avian brain shape left other dinosaurs behind
Christopher R. Torres, Mark A. Norell, Julia A. Clarke
Abstract
exhibited a wulst and segmented palate, previously proposed to have arisen within extant birds. The origin of Aves is marked by larger, reshaped brains indicating selection for relatively large telencephala and eyes but not by uniquely small body size. Sensory system differences, potentially linked to these shifts, may help explain avian survivorship relative to other dinosaurs.
Topics & Concepts
Extinction eventExtinction (optical mineralogy)CretaceousBiologyBrain tissueSurvivorship curveBrain sizeZoologyEvolutionary biologyEcologyAnatomyPaleontologyMedicineBiological dispersalMagnetic resonance imagingGeneticsCancerPopulationRadiologyEnvironmental healthPaleontology and Evolutionary BiologyEvolution and Paleontology StudiesAmphibian and Reptile Biology