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Great Transitions: The Origin of Birds

Topic
  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Skin & Musculoskeletal System
  • Evolution
  • Paleobiology
Resource Type
  • Videos
  • Short Films
Level
High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Duration
00:18:59
Used In
1 BioInteractive Playlists
Favorited By
14 Users
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View in Spanish
Description

This film follows paleontologist Julia Clarke as she describes some of the most important fossil evidence showing that birds descended from dinosaurs.

The discovery of Archaeopteryx in a quarry in Germany in the early 1860s provided the first clue that birds descended from reptiles. But what kind of reptile? In the last 40 years, scientists have discovered that birds descended from a group of carnivorous dinosaurs called theropods. By following this trail of discovery, the film illustrates many of the iterative and inquiry-based practices of science: asking important questions, formulating and testing hypotheses, analyzing and interpreting evidence, and revising explanations as new evidence becomes available.

The “Abbreviated Film Guide” provides a short summary of the film, along with key concepts and connections to curriculum standards.

An audio descriptive version of the film is available via our media player.

Details
Key Terms

Archaeopteryx, Deinonychus, dinosaur, feather, fossil, theropod

Primary Literature

Ostrom, John H. “Osteology of Deinonychus antirrhopus, an Unusual Theropod from the Lower Cretaceous of Montana.” Peabody Museum of Natural History Bulletin 30 (1969). 
 

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level

This resource complies with accessibility standards in accordance with the final rule for Section 508 of the National Rehabilitation Act.
Version History
Date Published 02.12.15
Date Updated 05.14.20
Curriculum Connections
NGSS (2013)

HS-LS4.A, HS-LS4.C

AP Biology (2019)

EVO-1, EVO-3, SYI-2

IB Biology (2016)

5.1, 5.4, 10.3

AP Environmental Science (2013)

II.C

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

2.1

Vision and Change (2009)

CC1, CC2

Materials
HD (M4V) 916 MB
HD (WMV) 589 MB
SD (M4V) 154 MB
SD (WMV) 150 MB
Transcript (PDF) 279 KB
Spanish Dub (Español) (MP4) 332 MB
Transcript - Español (PDF) 246 KB
Abbreviated Film Guide (PDF) 7 MB
Related Science News
‘Wonderchicken’ fossil reveals ancestor of today’s birds

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1-Minute Tips
The Origin of Birds
Valerie May explains how she uses the BioInteractive short film "Great Transitions: The Origin of Birds," along with its related activities, with her students. She also notes that many of BioInteractive's resources align to NGSS standards.
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