Re: Moasaurus

["Zoe Heraklides" <z_heraklides@hotmail.com>]

ELurio@aol.com writes:

> To the latter question, take a look around you. A feather is a feather. As
> far as I know, there are NO secondarily featherless critters, nor, as far 
> as
> I know, there ever were. But if there were, I'd say they were still birds.
> But I don't really know as they are entirely theoretical.


OK, I've taken a look around me.  I see a kiwi bird.  It has long, hairlike 
structures coming out of its skin.  Are these feathers?  They look very 
different to the feathers of a duck or chicken.

I then look at the specimens of Sinosauropteryx and Microraptor.  They have 
short, hairlike structures associated with the skeleton.  Are these 
feathers?

Since this is a list for *scientific* discussion, perhaps we should have 
better definitions of such terms as "birds" and "feathers" then simply "we 
know it when we see it".

!!!

ZH


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