RE: Feathering in coelurosaurs

[martinh <martinh@DigitalWork.com>]

Jordan Mallon wrote

>Note that large dinos such as _Torosaurus_ also had plenty of "canvas" 
surface area, but instead it developed a huge frill as a means of display.  

Hang on a minute, you can only deduce this, as it would be a behavioural
trait....

>Also, today's modern elephants have plenty of surface area that could be 
used as a sexual "billboard" but they make no use of it.  Simply because a 
certain animal has a lot of skin doesn't mean it will use it as a means of 
display.  

Quite so, but you are comparing apples and oranges I feel...there are not
*many* gaudily coloured mammals, even fur tends to be limited to a few
colours, so to compare what mamals do and use it as a basis to support your
argument seems tenuous...(but I will accept a premise of dinos with gaudy
posterioirs a la mandrille %^)   )

>So, despite having a large flank, tyrannosaurs could have still 
sported a least _some_ type of feathery integument (perhaps around the head 
or something).

They could have, but do large birds sport large feathers? Do they (ugh!)
*scale up* with size? If yes, where are the large tyrannosaurid feather
fossils or impressions (or any other?) If no, why bother growing gaudy
"micro-feathers" when you have skin which (by your inheritance) could
possibly do the same job?

cheers, m