Re: DPterosaur's thoughts on the....

[ornstn@hookup.net (Ronald Orenstein)]

>    In my opinion, whether or not pterosaurs are dinosaurs or even 
>ornithodires, the fact that they had hair leads me to suspect it had a 
>common ancestor as feathers in dinosaurs.  I would think it strange 
>that two different types of thermoregulatory devices be evolved in two 
>*fairly* close groups entirely seperate of eachother.

First of all, my understanding is that the presence of hair (or something
like hair) in Pterosaurs is not a "fact" but an interpretation of the
specimen(s) of Sordes that is not universally shared. It may be likely but
not proven.

Secondly,pterosaur hair (assuming it existed) and feathers may well be
convergent if the two groups developed heterothermy separately, no matter
how closely they are related (and this, again, is certainly possible).
--
Ronald I. Orenstein                           Phone: (905) 820-7886 (home)
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