>>I do not presume to speak for Phillip on this debate, but the fossil record reveals there were birds walking around the same time as their (alleged) theropod ancestors.

Is this a rehash of the old "If evolution were true, why are there still monkeys!?!OMG!!!" tripe? Please tell me that your understanding of evolution is sufficient to refute your own "point".

Evolution does not state that every member of a species will all "progress" to a new species. When a new strain of influenza virus evolves, does that mean the precursor strain must now be extinct? Then why would you think more distant evolution would be different?

William, why don't you spend the $100 and give everyone who claims to be an eyewitness to Mokele-mbembe a disposable camera that you will collect on your next trip? Especially this Pierre fellow; as he claims to be able to track their migration pattern, just hand him a Minolta and some film.

I also find it interesting that you say you "did glimpse the large, python-like head of a Mokele-mbembe as it waded through a swollen river to its cavern lair at an island just off the Congo side of the Dja river." If you are accurately relating your story here, you saw a python-like head sticking out of the water, and from this decided that it was not, say, a python, was wading, and had a cavern lair on an island that for some reason you did not go investigate. Pardon my incredulity, but I remain underwhelmed.

Jenkie, sorry I couldn't offer more fireworks.

Shygetz,

The animal in question was not a python, or any snake. First of all, the head was about five or six times bigger than any python I have ever seen before -and I have seen some whoppers in my time. The colouration (dark grey/brown was also completely different.)Secondly, we were paddling against a strong current, and any creature swimming on the surface would have been swept quickly towards us. Thirdly, our guides (who saw the animal first) saw the head poking out of the water and the massive bulk of the animal's body just breaking the surface. They were absolutely certain that, observing its posture and manner in which the animal moved along, it was walking along the bottom, not swimmimg. We later plummed the depth of the river and found it to be twenty feet deep at the point where we observed the animal.

Fourthly, and I think most importantly, our guides were extremely frightened and would not return to the area, no matter how much money we offered them. These are experienced hunters and fishermen. They are perfectly familiar with crocodiles, pythons, large monitor lizards (we spotted a 2 meter specimen)elephants, hippos, etc. They also regularly hunt most of the aforementioned animals.

The area we were operating in was avoided by most of the locals due to Mokele-mbembe activity, and they have seen the animals browsing on leaves, wading through deep and shallow water, submerging underwater, surfacing (sometimes under canoes)and clawing apart fishing nets that obstruct their passage in smaller rivers and streams. Many of these eye-witness accounts are not mere fleeting glimpses, but lengthy observations for up to three hours at a time.

As Bernard Heuvelmans once stated to me in a letter, "one may have to spend up to one year in the target area to observe and film a Mokele-mbembe."

If that kind of funding ever becomes available, then I would jump at the chance. Until then, we have to be content with scrimping together funding for six week long expeditions and, I hope, distributing some disposable cameras to the fishermen on the next expedition.

On the question of theropod dinosaur-into-bird evolution, where does this leave Protoavis? Disovered by paleontologist Sankar Chatterjee in 1992, Protoavis was bird that lived in what is now Texas, USA, around 225 million years ago, according to the evolutionary time scale. Though Protoavis is much older Archaeopteryx, its skeletal structure is apparently much more bird-like, with teeth on the tip of its jaws and eyes located at the front of the skull, suggesting a nocturnal or crepuscular lifestyle. The reconstructed fossil shows that the forelimbs possessed quill knobs, suggesting that the creature had feathers.

However, Protoavis has not been accepted as an early bird by all paleontologists because this places it in the fossil record long before its alleged coelurosaurian ancestors. Nevertheless, the mystery still prevails. Either birds first appeared in the fossil record when there were very few dinosaurs around to begin with, or feathered dinosaurs evolved completely independently right at the very beginning of dinosaur evolution.

Bill Gibbons

How you found this site: Internet

SOME OF YOU SAID THAT DINOSAURS TURNED INTO BIRDS THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!
I MEAN HAVE WE SEEN A CROCIDILE TURN INTO A BIRD. I DON'T THINK SO! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE.

How you found this site: ask.com

So William J. Gibbons, Any luck with the trip? Did you find anything interesting?

How you found this site: LivingDinos.com

Ashlyn Why do you have to be extremely close-minded?(and small-minded?)There are HUGE Differences in Dinosaurs and Crocodiles. 1 Such Being That Some Dinosaurs posture is similar to birds. But look at crocodiles-NONE Stand On TWO Legs.

How you found this site: LivingDinos.com

Joshua,

I posted that comment about 2 years ago...

My beliefs have changed since then, I am more open-minded then I was when I had posted that comment.

I was rather stupid back then. Please forgive me if I had offended you in any way.

**Ashlyn**

Website: www.YouTube.com/MarineLifeRescue

How you found this site: Don't Remember

It's all cool I just didn't understand why you thought that but it's fine we cool?

Hey Joshua,

Yeah, we're cool! Thanks for your understanding!

*Ashlyn*

Website: www.YouTube.com/MarineLifeRescue

How you found this site: Don't Remember