Re: origin of feathers

[Earl Wood <candles@jps.net>]

John V Jackson wrote:

> -----Original Message-----From: Earl Wood Date: 11 April 1998 08:12
>
> >        Would someone like to speculate on the possibility that pre
> >feathers were brought
> >about by the need to modify the skin in order to prevent serious sun
> >burn from the sun
> >or some other source of radiation which was probably very prevalent at
> >different periods
> >of time.  $0.02  worth.
> >         Earl
>
> I would imagine early birds would have no greater need for this than their
> immediate predecessors, who presumably had the "standard" "reptilian"
> integument.
>
> John V Jackson    jjackson@interalpha.co.uk

     It has been suggested by some that temperature may have been the jolt
needed tostart the growth of hair or feathers,  My thoughts follow this idea
and that over a good deal
of time radiation ( U V ) might have contributed to the change from scales to
hair or feathers for insulation of this sort.
     Thanks for your thoughts.
     Earl