The early origin of a birdlike inner ear and the evolution of dinosaurian movement and vocalization

Abstract

Revealing behavioral secrets in extinct species Extinct species had complex behaviors, just like modern species, but fossils generally reveal little of these details. New approaches that allow for the study of structures that relate directly to behavior are greatly improving our understanding of the lifestyles of extinct animals (see the Perspective by Witmer). Hanson et al. looked at three-dimensional scans of archosauromorph inner ears and found clear patterns relating these bones to complex movement, including flight. Choiniere et al. looked at inner ears and scleral eye rings and found a clear emergence of patterns relating to nocturnality in early theropod evolution. Together, these papers reveal behavioral complexity and evolutionary patterns in these groups. Science , this issue p. 601 , p. 610 ; see also p. 575