Crow here and I have news for you. Dinosaurs never really left. They’re still here. I'm still here. In a new book by my old friend Scott D. Sampson called Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life is a remarkable statement right near the beginning: “Today, most experts agree that birds are the direct descendants of dinosaurs and thus are, in a very real sense, dinosaurs themselves.” Oh no, you say, birds have feathers. Of course they do. And so did dinosaurs. It’s now been shown that the crow-sized Archaeopteryx wasn’t a bird at all, but a dinosaur. Now I'm talking about my ancestors here and this is a family oriented time of year so don't laugh. I told you I've been around a long, long, loooong time but you wouldn't believe me.Well, I just thought I'd drop in to say hello before flying back to Copenhagen. I must have a word with the Canadian Government representatives about them continuing to allow the Tar Sands to be dug up. Do you have any idea what a mess that stuff makes of my feathers? I don't even want to talk about all the rest it's messing up. Which brings me back to dinosaurs. Everybody knows the dinosaurs (except for birds) finally became extinct 65 million years ago after the K-T event but before that they were around for 170 million years. What do you think of people's chances to last a fraction of that, Mr. H. Sapiens? Besides, my great great great great (ad infinitum) grandmother was a very beautiful and charming Archaeopteryx. Just look at this picture I found of her in an old album. No wonder my ggggggggggggggggggggggg (ad infinitum) grandfather fell in love.
Now I just have time for a quick snifter before take-off. I'll be back soon and in the meantime if you're going to party don't forget what gggggggggg GD used to say to ggggggggg GM - Bend over, let me see you shake a tail feather. Hey, it worked for them and it just might work for you too.
If I'm not mistaken, shaking my tail feathers is a sin against some Commandment or other.
ReplyDeleteI just saw three crows the other day in the big pine trees behind my house. I haven't seen crows in this area in years because there was a virus that killed off a lot of them. But they're back! Nothing can keep crows from returning, even if the rest of "us" dinosaurs become extinct.
Those are some beautiful colors on her feathers. Interesting patterns too.
ReplyDeleteNunly, that's why your religion is wacko. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI figure we've got at least a few thousand years left. I'm an optimist.
Oh, and of course dinosaurs aren't extinct. They live and work in DC.
If you agree with the Holographic Universe they are still with us...
ReplyDeleteWell Crow your GGGG(ad inf) GM was a real looker. If I was a feathered dinosaur I would have shook my tail feather at her with gusto!
ReplyDeleteInteresting about birds really being dinosaurs. I had heard that as well. Makes sense that not every dinosaur became extinct - some adapted.
ReplyDeleteMary Ellen is right, the crows are back - that West Nile virus killed a lot of them but not all. I'm sure the ones that survive are immune to it or something. The virus killed a lot of blue jays too (they're related to crows) but I'm glad to say I've been seeing more of them too lately. I always liked blue jays even if they are raucous! They're so pretty.
nunly - Nope, I've never seen a Commandment about that unless it's the one to do with shaking it at your neighbor's wife (or something).
ReplyDeleteCrows will always return :-)
liberality - I think she's very pretty but I'm not sure I'd want her next to me on the perch.
randal - They're in the banking industry too but you knew that.
nancy - I hope so because I want to see Dinotopia one day :-)
jams - My ggggggg (ad inf) GD really knew how to pick em :-)
mauigirl - I know of one apparently sane scientist who's planning to reverse engineer a chicken to dinosaur. As if the world didn't already have enough trouble :-)
well, we all know birds are smarter than people. and did you know they can hear a worm in the ground? and because of the way their eyes are positioned on their head, they have almost 360 degree vision? and and and... this is where they outpace humankind... everything they see is in focus.
ReplyDeletesera - That all sounds very familiar to me, my dear. I think you must have a few avian genes in your makeup.
ReplyDeleteWe saw Dino, the 80 foot dinosaur, when we sped by Wall Drug on our way out West last Summer. I don't think they've left. In the last Ice Age movie, there was a whole bunch of them, a little type cast, but. oh well, hard to get good actors and actresses on a low budget animated flick.
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of crows around here. Reading the comments, I see that some say the crow has dropped in numbers. Not around here. They are noisy, especially in the morning. I love their chatter. I've even had them in my yard pecking dropped seeds from the feeders off the ground. I never did know about the relationship between birds and dinosaurs until now. Interesting.
Good to hear from you Crow.
Peace.
people have been making fun of my beak since i was a chicklet. unfortunately, i didn't inherit the eyesight of my fossil friends.
ReplyDeletespadoman - I'll be the first to admit there are many birds more beautiful than my corvid relations but I have a soft spot too. They're family, after all.
ReplyDeletesera - There's always somebody trying to ruffle our feathers, isn't there?