When a bird in flight is not in transition

WITH reference to Richard Collins’ article (‘Sturgeons are the missing link,’ Irish Examiner, February 6), experts such as Dr Alan Feduccia (author of ‘The Origin and Evolution of Birds’) have long acknowledged that Archaeopteryx is fully bird, and not part-reptile: “Paleontologists have tried to turn Archaeopteryx into an earth-bound, feathered dinosaur."

"But it's not. It is a bird, a perching bird. And no amount of 'paleobabble' is going to change that."

Creatures like the sturgeon, Archaeopteryx and, most famously, the platypus are mosaic creatures containing features typical of different classes of creature but not usually found together in the one organism.