Re: Stego plates!!!

["Nicholas J. Pharris" <pharrinj@PLU.edu>]

On Tue, 30 Jan 1996 Dinogeorge@aol.com wrote:

> Something as visually interesting but physiologically draining as stegosaur
> plates must have been multifunctional to have stayed with the lineage for so
> many millions of years. The huge, thin, alternating plates of stegosaurid
> stegosaurs almost certainly developed those particular characteristics as
> part of their thermoregulatory function. Before that, the plates probably
> functioned protectively, and of course we must never forget the catchall
> "display" function that they must have had.
> 

Indeed.  One idea I've had (and I'm sure it's been had before) is that 
the plates of stegosaurids initially moved into a staggered arrangement 
to obliterate the spaces between them in lateral view, thus making the plate 
row look like part of the back, thus making the animal look bigger.  The fact 
that they then made better heat dumps was gravy ("exaptation," in 
scientific parlance).

Nick Pharris
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
(206)535-8204
PharriNJ@PLU.edu

"If you can't convince them, confuse them." -- Harry S. Truman