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Feathered dinosaur

From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science

There is evidence that in at least some cases these so called feathered dinosaurs are really misidentified birds. Also most of these fossils are from China. China is known to have a fake fossil industry. This places a question mark on all such finds

1 Caudipteryx
2 Protarchaeopteryx
3 Sinosauropteryx and Sinocalliopteryx
4 Microraptor gui
5 Archaeopteryx
6 Shuvuuia
7 The Archaeoraptor Hoax
8 Gigantoraptor erlianensis
9 Related References
10 See Also

Caudipteryx

Dated at 120 -136 millions of years

Caudipteryx was a flightless bird.

Reference: picture of fossil.
Reference: What? Another feathered dinosaur claim?

Protarchaeopteryx

Dated at 120-150 millions years

Protarchaeopteryx was a flightless bird.

Reference: picture of fossil.
Reference: What? Another feathered dinosaur claim?
Reference: came first, the dino or the bird?

Sinosauropteryx and Sinocalliopteryx

Dated at 140 - 120 millions years

Sinosauropteryx and Sinocalliopteryx were dinosaurs. The "feathers" were called frayed collagen fibers by evolutionist Feduccia, a claim described as "without merit" by other evolutionists, thus demonstrating even evolutionists don't agree. However, it should be noted collagen fibers are thick and furry, while these dinosaurs have a branching integument, which is probably a muscle fiber.

Reference: Dino-Bird Evolution Falls Flat!
Reference: Which came first, the dino or the bird?

Microraptor gui

"Early Cretaceous" Dated at 128-124 million years

Microraptor gui was a four winged animal. If it is not a fake, it would seem to be a type of gliding bird (or perhaps a bit like a flying squirrel). This is supported by the three misidentified birds given above. It is also supported by the fact that for this animal to glide it would need to spread its hind legs in a manner not possible for a dinosaur.

There are reasons to question the validity of this find. All but one of the Microraptor gui fossils were purchased from a dealer. Given the proven fake fossil business in China, such fossils are suspect without extensive study, such as X-Ray and under UV light. The one fossil acutely found by the discoverers of Microraptor gui, had only one feather, and there seems to be some doubt about it actually being part of the fossil, thus its provisional status as a 'bird'.

Reference: Four-Winged Dinosaurs Found in China, Experts Announce
Reference: CNN.com - Four-winged dinosaur fossils found - Jan. 22, 2003
Reference: New four-winged feathered dinosaur?

Archaeopteryx

Archaeopteryx, one of the first found "feathered dinosaurs", is really a true bird. It was at first thought to be a hoax, but evidence such as pneumatized vertebrae and pelvis have shown it to be genuine. Since then, it was shown not to be an "earth-bound, feathered dinosaur", but a real, perching bird, evidenced by such as the obviously avian brain, and the fact that it was shown to be "formed to fly."

Bird evolution flies out the window

Shuvuuia

August 15, 1999.

A small flightless bird with badly preserved integument. Chemical analyzes have supported these as feathers, but the conclusion reached was that Shuuvia was a bird.

Reference: Schweitzer MH, Watt JA, Avci R, Knapp L, Chiappe L, Norell M, Marshall M. "Beta-keratin specific immunological reactivity in feather-like structures of the cretaceous alvarezsaurid, Shuvuuia deserti." J Exp Zool 1999 Aug 15;285(2):146-57. Retrieved April 20, 2007, from PubMed at the National Institutes of Health.

The Archaeoraptor Hoax

Dated at 120 millions of years

Hoax

Hind quarters of a micro raptor, (a dinosaur ) were connected to a bird fossil.

The Archaeoraptor hoax exposed the existence of a fake fossil business in China. It got started because complete fossils bring in more money than partial ones. This discovery has not shut down the operation, and so any fossils from China not proven to be other wise, could be assumed to be a product of the hoaxers. It should be noted that the most of the recent feathered dinosaurs are all form China, and there for suspect. It must, however, in all fairness be pointed out that the hoax was revealed by evolutionists within 3 months, indicating some quality control is applied.

Gigantoraptor erlianensis

Dated at 70 million years.

Gigantoraptor lacks any material evidence of feathers. Claim of feathers rests on presumed relationship to oviraptorosaurs. Gigantoraptor does not even fit the evolutionist prediction that dinosaurs shrank as they evolved feathers, since the fossil is 16 feet tall and weighed an estimated 1.5 tons in life. Discovered in China.