Re: Dino feathers

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

Peter Buchholz wrote:

> Any ideas as to why all known Compsignathid specimens died in the exact same 
> pose?  That strikes me as very odd.  Also, how many fingers do you see?  
> Aside from the feathers, I think that the proper finger count will be the 
> most important piece of evidence taken from Sinosauropteryx (how much do I 
> hate that name?......).

     I though the hands in _Compsognathus_ were poorly preserved.  How 
many other compsognathids are known with good hand material?

> Am I correct in my thinking that absolutely NO non-lepidosaurs have 
> overlapping scales?  This is what you're advocating isn't it?  From the 
> verbal discriptions I've heard so far, it seems far more likely that the 
> structures are indeed feathers, and not overlapping Lepidosaur-style scales.  

     I don't see why developing overlapping scales from non-overlapping 
scales would be more unlikely then developing FEATHERS form 
non-overlapping scales.  We will just have to wait and see.

LN Jeff  
"Post-mortem contraction of the posterior neck ligaments...Veliciraptor?"