Re: Quo vadis, T. rex? [long]

[Jeffrey Martz <martz@holly.ColoState.EDU>]

> >      Eaxactly.  How long before Archaeopteryx feathers evolved is very 
> > debatable.  Maybee just that little twig, maybee the common ancestor of 
> > the entire theropoda.   But this is SHEER SPECULATION.  
> > Not the sort of thing a clasification system should be based on.  
> > 
> Indeed.  Therefore don't go trying to classify birds outside the 
> dinosauria based on the speculated lack of feathers in all other dinosaurs.

      Feathers are known for birds.  Scales are known for some 
dinosaurs.  Feathers are known for NO dinosaurs.  Might some dinosaurs 
have had feathers?  Maybee.  But our knowledge to date gives us no reason 
to beleive that any dinosaur had feathers, and at least a little 
indication that they did not.  In light of this, dinosaurs having 
feathers is at least marginally more speculative that dinosaurs all being 
scaled, and our current system of classification should reflect this.  
Taxonomy should reflect our best knowledge to date, not the most 
aesthetically appealing speculation. 
 
LN Jeff