Birds To Dinosaur: Aquatic Origins for Birds Hypothesis

Aquatic Origins for Birds Hypothesis

I predict that when all fossils are collected (whenever that time may be), the mother of all birds (an archosaur ancestor to birds) which needless to say, dating back at least to the Triassic and predating the theropod dinosaurs, will be discovered to have inhabited semi-aquatic environment.

Archeopteryx

Habitats of the Archosaurian early ancestors to birds.

Further about the aquatic environment of Archeopteryx and where the remains have been found... in Lagoons.

From Dinosaurs of the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds By Gregory S. Paul

The early world was filled with such habitats, some living between terrestrial, semi-aquatic and aquatic lifestyles.

The argument for a "wading" Archeopteryx may be weak, but the conclusions for "Aquatic Ancestors" of Archeopteryx are strong:

From Dinosaurs of the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds, By Gregory S. Paul

"Swimming" and "Flying" require the same physics (Hydrodynamics vs. Aerodynamics).

Fruit flies 'swim' through air, using the same physics as fish, study shows
Fruit flies and other flyers also use drag to "swim" through the air, the scientists say. Their discovery lends support to the evolutionary theory that flight in insects emerged from swimming.

The same applies to snakes, which are reptiles that have been skilled swimmers for millions of years yet have neither feathers nor wings and have learned instinctually to seize upon principles of aerodynamics to "swim through the air".

Swimming... gave rise to the instinctual desire to fly. Most birds are either swimmers, or flyers and have been interchanging between them for the past 300 million years. The evidence found in Archeopteryx reveals that he, like his ancestors, never wandered far from the water's edge.

Source: "Exploring the biofluiddynamics of swimming and flight"

Embryonic Evidence in Birds and Reptiles

"...He examines in detail the expression of evolutionary stages in the development of embryos, tracing from the process of cell division to the development of specific anatomical features. He finds a striking resemblance between the embryonic development of reptiles and birds, including details of the skeletal anatomy (with special attention to the hands and feet) and various organs. He notes that bird and reptile embryos develop visceral arches, hinting at their aquatic ancestry. Of more interest to his goal, Heilmann writes in a similar vein that the embryos of certain birds clearly show a three-clawed finger structure, at least one of which (the hoatzin) retains actual claws after hatching. He mentions other anatomical features of bird embryos that hint at their reptilian ancestry as well, such as the embryonic splitting of the pygostyle into distinct separate vertebrae."
(Source)

Visceral arches:
"...Columns of mesenchyme found in the neck of the developing vertebrate embryo derived from cranial neural crest. In lower vertebrates, blood vessels formed here become part of the gills; in higher vertebrates derivatives include portions of the jaw and middle ear. Also known as branchial arches, gill arches, or visceral arches."
(Source)
"Mesenchymal structures in the region of the embryonic pharynx and visible on the ventrolateral aspect of the head; give rise to skeletal elements, larynx and other structures of the head."
(Source)

"...the “pharyngeal apparatus” consists of a series of paired pharyngeal arches and fissures which develop on the exterior with a corresponding set of pharyngeal pouches on the inside of the throat, separated from the external fissures by a thin membrane (more on the details in a moment). And in fact the possession of these structures at some point in development, along with a hollow dorsal nerve cord, a notochord and a post anal tail, are the defining characteristics of the phylum chordata to which we and all other vertebrates belong."
(Source)

Just look at those wonderful visceral arches and how even humans retain the innate ability... to swim at birth! This instinct is written in the genes of all animals.

...Even humans, seeming so far removed from their ancient mammalian ancestry... are born with a rudimentary reflex to swim... inherited from a distant water-borne ancestor somewhere in the murky evolutionary past.
Why would a human need "Visceral Arches" --GILLS??!
And if humans retain this ancient swimming reflex, -- then why wouldn't birds?

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Interesting Related Links

A Marine Shorebird (Archosaurian Descendant) that behaved like some lizards who ran over water to escape predation.
Hollow bones helped high-flying reptiles stay aloft
"...Similar design features exist in modern birds, which evolved them independently, say the scientists."
Swimming led to flying physicists say
"...Fruit flies 'swim' through air, using the same physics as fish, study shows
Fruit flies and other flyers also use drag to "swim" through the air, the scientists say. Their discovery lends support to the evolutionary theory that flight in insects emerged from swimming.

Flying snakes... flying squirrels... flying reptiles and flying birds?

Early bird makes a splash
"...although many people think of ducks, geese and other waterfowl as specialized animals, they are quite primitive in comparison to highly evolved species such as songbirds... almost every bird group alive today has representatives that live in or around water, Chiappe says, suggesting that a watery lifestyle may be an ancient tradition that has persisted in many lineages... Chiappe admits that the aquatic-origins theory could be cast into doubt if somebody finds a fossilized land bird of the same vintage as Gansus.
Bird-from-dinosaur theory of evolution challenged: Was it the other way around?
"...A new study provides yet more evidence that birds did not descend from ground-dwelling theropod dinosaurs, experts say, and continues to challenge decades of accepted theories about the evolution of flight."

Look at these wonderful visceral arches hinting at the aquatic ancestry for birds!

Bright Red Feathers on T. Rex?!

Ancient origins and multiple appearances of carotenoid-pigmented feathers in birds
"...The broad palette of feather colours displayed by birds serves diverse biological functions, including communication and camouflage. Fossil feathers provide evidence that some avian colours, like black and brown melanins, have existed for at least 160 million years (Myr), but no traces of bright carotenoid pigments in ancient feathers have been reported."
Leading Ornithologist, "Arguments for ancient bird feather color 'Pure Mythology'"
Synchrotron-based chemical imaging reveals plumage patterns in a 150 million year old early bird
"...Studies on the elucidation of colour in fossil feathers have suggested that the presence of melanosomes within fossil feathers may be used to tentatively reconstruct feather colours by tracking variations in melanosome shape. [...] This structural approach has some shortcomings, primarily that there is known diversity in melanin granule morphology among different species, and melanosome preservation may not be uniform. Therefore, serious questions may be raised about colour interpretation based solely on fossilised melanosome morphology and distribution. Additionally, these studies did not account for other known contributors to colour in feathers, such as the possible presence of other pigments (e.g. carotenoids) or other physical structures."
Winter cardinals don their brightest red feathers
"...Cardinals get the pigments responsible for red feathers from their food. Cardinals, tanagers and goldfinches can't synthesize carotenoids - the pigments responsible for red, orange and yellow feathers. If the birds don't eat enough carotenoid-rich fruits and insects, feathers that grow in during the next molt will be less colorful. Dogwood, rose and Japanese honeysuckle berries are locally abundant sources of carotenoid pigments."

"Frugivore Raptor" and "Vegan Rex" may have confidence in the Dinosaur-Bird myth but any person with a reasonably adequate understanding of the fossil record and how legitimate paleontology functions, can not.
Disciples of Dino-Bird Mythology may choose to believe T. Rex was a conscientious "vegetarian which dined upon an abundant supply of berries."
However, they are not alone. One other well-known group of people who make claim T. Rex was a Vegetarian: CREATIONISTS. They too claim there were no carnivorous diets (death) "before the fall".
And that's all I can say of such silly mythology vs. legitimate science!

Molecular evidence for the origin of birds (backup)
Dynamic evolution of the alpha (α) and beta (β) keratins has accompanied integument diversification and the adaptation of birds into novel lifestyles
Exploring the biofluiddynamics of swimming and flight
Researchers Compare Chicken, Human Genomes: Analysis Of First Avian Genome Uncovers Differences Between Birds And Mammals (click) and (click)
Brush Your Beak: 10 Amazing Birds With Teeth
Do birds have teeth? Ask any biologist and the answer will be “absolutely not!”, but “absolute” is a relative term and when one stretches the definitions of what makes a bird or a tooth, birds with teeth aren’t absolutely impossible anymore.

For the Anti-Creationism Darwinist Among Us

My Other Blog:
Genesis in the Ancient World
"The Jews integrated into Greek culture around 300 BC. Notably, much of the modern Biblical literature is actually Greek. Enlightened Greek thought becomes apparent in the opening of Genesis. "One of the first evolutionary theories was proposed by Thales of Miletus (640–546 BC) in the province of Ionia on the coast near Greece followed by Anaximander (550 B.C.) who speculated that life evolved from the water; lower forms of life, in a very primitive precursor to evolutionary theory."

Namely this *ouch!*

Evolution and Paleontology in the Ancient World
"...For Anaximander, the world had arisen from an undifferentiated, indeterminate substance, the apeiron. The Earth, which had coalesced out of the apeiron, had been covered in water at one stage, with plants and animals arising from mud. Humans were not present at the earliest stages; they arose from fish. This poem was quite influential on later thinkers, including Aristotle.
Had Anaximander looked at fossils? Did he study comparative fish and human anatomy? Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing what evidence Anaximander used to support his ideas. His theory bears some resemblance to evolutionary theory, but also seems to have been derived from various Greek myths, such as the story of Deucalion and Pyrrha, in which peoples or tribes are born from the Earth or from stones. His concept of the apeiron seems similar to the Tao of Chinese philosophy and religion, and to the "formless and void" Earth of the Hebrew creation account and other creation myths. However, even though Anaximander's ideas drew on the religious and mythical ideas of his time, he was still one of the first to attempt an explanation of the origin and evolution of the cosmos based on natural laws."
(Source, ucmp.berkeley.edu History)

[Sadly, what the site fails to mention is that the oldest known biblical manuscripts date no earlier than around 300 B.C., therefore, Anaximander (610-545 B.C.) could not have based any of his concepts on Biblical Hebrew. However it can be deduced, the Hebrew Genesis account was borrowed from mainstream Greek philosophy.] [The analysis by Harvard and several other University sources are quite impressive: (Scala Naturae of the Bible, Charles Darwin and Ancient Greek Philosophy)]

Genetic similarity between chicken and t. rex: 58% (click)
Genetic similarity between human and chicken: 60-75% (click)
Genetic similarity between chicken and crocodilians 61.7% (click)
NOW who's your daddy?!

In Memoriam

Sorry T. Rex. You did not evolve into chickens. You went extinct like 99% of the species on this planet who ever lived and, your similarities with birds were due to a shared Archosaurian ancestor or, merely a result of convergent evolution.
(And here is the genetic evidence.)

"Superficially bird-like dinosaurs occurred some 25 million to 80 million years after the earliest known bird, which is 150 million years old.” See (here).

..."denying the fossil record" isn't for just Creationists anymore! ...