soggy "down" maladaptive?

[Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>]

At 04:47 PM 27/04/01 +0000, Ken Kinman wrote:

>     Another argument put forward by Feduccia and others is that downy 
> feathers would be maladaptive as insulation (soggy feathers result in 
> hypothermia at night?) unless it was only on the young and a parent could 
> shield the young from getting its down wet.
>     How does one best argue against the "downy feathers get soggy and are 
> thus maladaptive" argument?

Easy. Ever seen a duckling? [imagine a resouding "yes"]. Ever seen one swimming?
[repeat previous imagining]. What are ducklings covered in? Or most water birds
that swim soon after hatching for that matter (Moor hens, etc).


-- 
____________________________________________________________

Dann Pigdon                   Australian Dinosaurs:
GIS Archaeologist           http://dannsdinosaurs.terrashare.com
Melbourne, Australia        http://www.alphalink.com.au/~dannj/
____________________________________________________________