integument (Re: Dinosaur Were Endotherms (sic))

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <th81@umail.umd.edu>]

At 06:34 AM 4/1/98 -0800, Luis Rey <luisrey@ndirect.co.uk> wrote:
> It might be that the lack of feathers or other kinds of insulation in the
> fossil record of theropods is the true 'artifact of preservation'.

Actually, we don't have integument of any sort preserved on most small
fossil reptiles, period!  No scales, no feathers, not even wrinkled skin.
Only certain environments and taphonomic conditions can preserve the
external features.

This is not that unusual, but the dino-fan community seem to forget this
once in awhile.  However, when was the last time you saw the preserved
integument of an early horse?  Of a brontothere?  Of almost any fossil bird
(other than those of Solnhofen, Las Hoyas, or Liaoning)?  For these, as in
most dinosaur taxa, all we have are bones.  The lack of preserved integument
is not unusual: it is the default condition.

We can be relatively certain, however, that they DID have an integument, and
that they weren't just walking skeletons!

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Vertebrate Paleontologist     Webpage: http://www.geol.umd.edu
Dept. of Geology              Email:th81@umail.umd.edu
University of Maryland        Phone:301-405-4084
College Park, MD  20742       Fax:  301-314-9661