Re: Brooding over dinos

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

Tom Hopp wrote:

<< highly engineered for BROODING >>

Dinogeorge wrote:
 
<All you need, basically, is some kind of cover. Whatever insulatory
or flight-related aerodynamic structures that were available would do.
For example, it is entirely possible that pterosaurs used their
membraneous wings for brooding their eggs. No need for specialized
flight feathers here. Would you say pterosaur wings evolved for
brooding, and were then exapted for flight?>

  Hmmm. Little thing:

  1) presumption of tachymetabolism developing or
     having developed. In an unusual environment, oh,
     say, the frigid cold around southern
     Gondwanaland's way, warmth is required along with
     quick, efficient predator/prey abilities to
     hunt/kill, flee/fight, etc.
  2) arms develop capturing musculature, to snap the
     arms inward
     a) consequently, claws develop into bigger,
        stronger apparati
     b) the hand is modified, with adaptations to
        orient the fingers and claws respective to the
        hand and/or wrist
     c) the animal finds it is much easier to climb
        with this new hand and claws. It starts on the
        high road.
  3) integument is derived to produce mobile layers
     (like protofeathers or hair) that aid in motion,
     drag, whatever
     a) More importantly, they aid in aerodynamics and
        insulation to a greater degree than before.
        They trap heat.
     b) the protofeathers develop barbules, to create
        an even more efficient insulator, and
        subsequently, under the arm is one of the
        warmest parts of the body. It can also be one
        of the coolest in hot weather, a perfect
        sunshade.
     c) the brooding wing.
  4) the arm develops the upward-angling humerus
     a) this becomes an efficient "parasol"
     b) it also adapts the arm musculature to
        compensate for the new range of motion (i.e.,
        a more efficient "slap" motion)
     c) not only that, the animal is scurrying across
        branches, trunks, etc. much faster and better
        than lizards or insects can. It is now the top
        arboreal predator. It's good to be king.
  5) the animal, to hunt its food, finds that not only
     can it quickly catch the food with the snap, it
     can better protect its young, previously hunched
     under the nest material.
  6) the ability to stay in the air longer when going
     after flying, fleeing prey is developed, and the
     animal suddenly gains an evolutionary niche.
     Unfortunately, there are pterosaurs around.
     Competition is the purest form of development.
     The two forms compete to develop the best ability
     to do what ever it is they do.

  Well, that covers BiCF and BrCF somewhat, and CCF (Climbing Came
First), and sets the stage for BADD and BAMM and BIFF (Birds In
Frequent Fracases, or Fighting Came First [in which case it would be
FCF]).

  Case closed! Yeah, right!

==
Jaime A. Headden

Qilong, the website, at:
http://members.tripod.com/~Qilong/qilong.html
---
All comments and criticisms are welcome!

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