[Avodah] Dinosaurs kosher?

[Michael Makovi]

T. Rex Closer to Gizzards Than Lizards
Washington Post April 25, A2
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/24/AR2008042402025.html

Basically, preliminary genetic studies show that T-rex (and presumably
other dinosaurs) is more closely related to chickens and ostriches
than to alligators, and even less related to lizards.

IMHO, this is not so terribly surprising, as it has long been said
that birds today are basically small feathered dinosaurs. In fact,
studies of pelvic structures have shown this similarity, and many
dinosaurs have long been speculated to have been warm-blooded and/or
feathered. Only now, there is genetic evidence to boot.

(Or perhaps I should say at least some dinosaurs; I'm not exactly sure
how closely related all the dinosaurs are, so perhaps some are more
closely related to birds than others. Regardless...)

Also, Rabbi Slifkin says the Torah classifies based on shape and
locomotion, not evolutionary category, and therefore, dinosaurs are
not sheratzim, which by definition are creepy-crawlies. I don't
remember what he says they'd be instead, but it seems to me that the
most likely category for them is birds.

It seems to me that if all this is true, dinosaurs would likely be
kosher. Being extinct for 65+ million years, the Torah could not
possibly have a word to use to declare them treif in the list of treif
birds (I understand this argument was used to kasher the New World
turkey. And for those who say that the taninim were dinosaurs (Dr.
Gerald Schroeder et. al.), meaning the Torah DOES have a word for
dinosaurs, I don't recall the taninim being in the treif list.)

So who wants a bronto-burger?

Mikha'el Makovi