Blog 19: Third Answer

The picture above shows a phylogenetic tree which I am using in my second independent component as a justification for feathers. The dinosaur I am reconstructing is called Allosaurus and it belongs to the grouping called Allosauridae, which is very closely related to a broader group of theropods called Coelursauria where a lot of theropods have been found to have feathers. 

EQ:

How can a paleontologist best reconstruct the life of a prehistoric creature?

Answer #3 (Write in a complete sentence like a thesis statement):

A paleontologist can effectively reconstruct the life of a prehistoric creature by using both phylogenetic context and the comparative method in conjunction with each other or separately.

3 details to support the answer:

- When a creature's phylogenetic context is used by paleontologists, it looks at what other animals, extinct or alive, are closely related to the subject species and what that relationship might reveal about things like appearance, behavior, and diet.

- When a paleontologist uses the comparative method, they are typically looking at the fossilized bones of creatures and comparing them with like creatures and using comparison to postulate with some level of certainty where  muscles were attached or even what color feather-like structures had. 

- Paleontologists that use a creature's phylogenetic context to find closely related species with whom to use the comparative method on can produce very reliable results and provide more information about an ancient creature's life.

The research source(s) to support your details and answer:

- "Evidence for Avian Intrathoracic Air Sacs in a New Predatory Dinosaur from Argentina." This source actually came from the research I was conducting for my Independent Component 2, it reports about how certain features on a species of dinosaur suggest that it may have had the air sacs that birds today use to breath much more efficiently than mammals. The specific group of dinosaurs that this was found on is very closely related to the dinosaur I will be reconstructing, called Allosaurus, which suggests that there is a very real possibility that this anatomical feature was present in the group that contains Allosaurus. This phylogenetic context provides a strong connection between Allosaurus and more bird-like features like primitive feathering.

- "Extreme Dinosaurs" This source talks about a recent discovery of a predator larger than Tyrannosaurus rex, but uses a group of dinosaurs closely related to Tyrannosaurus as a phylogenetic context to justify pack hunting behavior.

- "Flexibility Along the Neck of the Ostrich (Struthio Camelus) and Consequences for the Reconstruction of Dinosaurs with Extreme Neck Length" This source uses the comparative method to compare fossils of long-necked dinosaurs, sauropods, with modern Ostriches, who have very long necks. Through this analysis paleontologists determined positions that would've been more realistically achievable for sauropod neck, thus helping to reconstruct the animal's life.

Concluding Sentence:

Phylogenetic context and the comparative method while being useful on their own for the reconstruction of prehistoric life can be combined to get very reliable and realistic information about the way ancient creatures both behaved and looked like.