Analysis of the skulls of feathered but flightless dinosaurs shows they developed bigger brains that may have paved the way for them to take to the air.
Scientists have found that the reptiles’ brains were much more like that of Archaeopteryx, which is thought to be the first bird and lived 150 million years ago, than had been previously thought.
It means these other flightless dinosaurs may have already taken key evolutionary leaps towards becoming modern birds by developing “flight ready brains”.
Despite the term “bird brain” being commonly used as slang for stupidity, birds actually have unusually large brains compared to their body size.
This is most apparent in the forebrain, which provides the superior vision and co-ordination necessary for flight…
via Dinosaurs developed bird brains before they could fly – Telegraph.
