Odd, Ancient Bird Had Sharp Teeth

By Tia Ghose
Published January 7, 2013
http://news.discovery.com/animals/odd-ancient-bird-had-sharp-teeth-130107.html

Summary:  A fossil skeleton of a bird called Sulcavis geeorum was found in China.  This bird lived 125 million years ago and had strange teeth.  Scientists think that the bird used its teeth to eat hard shelled insects, crabs, or snails.  Birds no longer have teeth, however they do carry the genes for teeth.  Some believe that birds evolved to having beaks because they are lighter and therefore easier to fly with.  This toothed bird looks very similar to the modern-day songbird, the only difference being that songbirds do not have teeth.  A lot of fossils have been found from the time period of the toothed bird over the past 15 years.  Scientists hopefully will continue to find more so they can get more information about the Sulcavis geeorum. 

Connection:  This article connects to our study of evolution.  This specie of birds has evolved from having teeth to beaks.  This is partly because birds eat different things now but also because beaks are easier to fly with.  Birds have adapted to their surroundings.  There are now different things for them to eat and they have different predators and organisms living around them.  This specie was able to change through natural selection.  The birds with the beaks and no teeth were better suited to their environment and were able to survive and reproduce. This article also relates to genetics.  Birds may not show the trait of teeth but they do carry the gene for them.