Rossert J., Terraz C., Dupont S. Regulation of type I collagen genes expression. Nephrol. Dial. Transplant. 2000; 15:66–68. [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] Hyungkoo Lee, Measure (2014) (still). Courtesy the artist. SPThe human body often undergoes a process of alteration in your practice, ranging from magnification and addition to integration. There seems to be a desire to go beyond the human body's natural state. Benton MJ (2010) Studying Function and Behavior in the Fossil Record. PLoS Biol 8(3): e1000321. This brief, nontechnical article discusses the ways that paleontologists attempt to reconstruct the biology of extinct species. Looking at specific bones, you can see that the bird has some distinctive features. The number of carpals, metacarpals, and phalanges is reduced, and so is the size of these bones. Also, the carpometacarpus is formed by the fusion of carpals and metacarpals in the embryo. Rather than using numerous bones to control wing shape (as bats do), birds use a small number of bones, supplemented by a large number of feathers.

Düzler A., Özgel Ö., Dursun N. Morphometric analysis of the sternum in avian species. Turk. J. Vet. Anim. Sci. 2006; 30:311–314. [ Google Scholar]

Bird Skull

Because avian forelimbs are wings, many forelimb functions are performed by the bill and hindlimbs. [10] It has been proposed that the hindlimbs are important in flight as accelerators when taking-off. [18] [19] Some leg and foot functions, including conventional ones and those specific to birds, are: Hogg D.A. A re-investigation of the centres of ossification in the avian skeleton at and after hatching. J. Anat. 1980; 130:725–743. [ PMC free article] [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] How Dinosaurs Shrank and Became Birds. Singer, 2015. Quanta. Excellent exploration of the evolutionary processes behind this amazing transition. Beak. The most obvious thing that tells you you're looking at the skull of a bird and not a mammal is the beak. Some mammals (dolphins, for example) may also have a beaklike shape, but birds are distinctive in having a hard coating of keratin (the same protein found in hair, feathers, and scales) on the outside.

With the new DLC there are even MORE mysteries to be solved. For the sake of organization, I felt we should have a thread dedicated to the secrets and easter eggs present.

Would you like to take a short survey?

E. Singer, How Dinosaurs Shrank and Became Birds. Quanta, 2015. (This article was reprinted on Scientific American).

The various Iguanodon species are large herbivores, ranging from 6 to 11 metres (20 to 36 feet) in length, and averaging about 5 tonnes (5.5 tons) in weight. Gier, H. T. (1952). "The air sacs of the loon" (PDF). The Auk. 69 (1): 40–49. doi: 10.2307/4081291. JSTOR 4081291. Are Birds Really Dinosaurs? Part of DinoBuzz at UC Museum of Paleontology. This article describes some of the skeletal features that link birds to a specific group of dinosaurs. Unfortunately, the article is a little dated; it's missing some important recent fossil evidence of dinosaur feathers and hollow bones. I am not professional trained by any stretch. I have no formal education in what I do. Not until maybe a year into my self teaching did I buy a proper comparative osteology book, Osteology for the Archaeologist by Stanley J. Olsen. I learned somewhat early on into my studies that professionals often use palatal structures in identification, but that always seemed imprecise to me. I never bothered to study the bottom of bird skulls of IDing, and when people ask if that's an important view I'd say for some people, but I don't find it necessary. And, upon getting my first proper comparative osteology book, I realized I wasn't unjustified in my assumption. From Olsen's Osteology for the Archaeologist:

Preening and cleaning. [10] Sometimes birds use a special claw (for example, barn owls have a so-called "feather comb"). Some herons and nightjars use the claw for cleaning the head. [2] Exhibition view: Hyungkoo Lee, The Objectuals, Sungkok Art Museum, Seoul (2004). Courtesy the artist. Furcula. While nonflying dinosaurs had a furcula, it did not have the springy construction found in living birds.