Norell et al. reply — First, maniraptoran theropods, and theropods with furculae, are known from the Late Jurassic period7,8, significantly closing the ‘gap’ discussed above. We did not say in our Scientific Correspondence1 that Velociraptor was a direct ancestor, only that dromaeosaurs are related to birds. How do Feduccia and Martin explain the presence of primitive living mammals such as monotremes and marsupials 100 million years after they split from the line leading to ourselves?