Xinsen Wei1, Ying Guo1,2,*, Yan Zhao1
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.20, No.2, pp. 49-61, 2023, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2023.041173
- 15 September 2023
Abstract As one of the most basal avian clades, the Confuciusornithids are ideal in revealing the early evolution of avian flight. Birds’ hindlimbs are functionally diverse and contain a wealth of information about their behavior. The hindlimb of Confuciusornis, however, has only been studied in detail in terms of functional morphology, and quantitative studies that directly assess locomotor ability are relatively lacking. This has led to certain controversies on the behavior of Confuciusornis. This paper reviews the debates over the life habits and take-off ability of Confuciusornis, which are closely related to their hindlimb function. Several methodologies adopted More >