Re: ALIMENTARY MY DEAR HOATZIN

[Stanley Friesen <sarima@ix.netcom.com>]

At 01:14 AM 9/29/99 -0500, Rob Meyerson wrote:
>I question how useful this will be to us.  Are the climbing adaptations in 
>the hoatzin young a primary feature, or was it secondarily derived? 

In this case they are almost certainly a secondary feature.

However, the climbing adaptations in juvenile Hoatzin make a good *analog*
for an earlier mode of climbing in non-avian dinosaurs.  In particular the
ability of Hoatzin to climb shows that the lack of a spherical femoral head
is not necessarily a block to scansorial adaptation.

>Perhaps it would be better if we had a few skeletal reconstructions of a few 
>dromaeosaur hands,

Given what I know of coelurosaur hands, I suspect they could well be used
for climbing, and do it better than Hoatzin.  The long fingers with curved
claws make a good tree-grasping organ.


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May the peace of God be with you.         sarima@ix.netcom.com