RE: Peculiar Femoral Feathers and Fossil Site Tour

["Williams, Tim" <TiJaWi@agron.iastate.edu>]

Jaime Headden wrote:

>  The only analogue that I can see to the elongated femoral feathers on
> these fossils (especially NGMC 91 ["Dave"]) would be *Sharovipteryx*,
> which has an extensive uropatagium, and pterosaurs come in such a minor
> second place: the chord of the uropatagium is the length of the femur.

One possible purpose is drag - the pennaceous feathers on the forelimb,
hindlimb and tail of little eumaniraptorans served to increase aerodynamic
drag during descents.  These big, planar feathers slowed down the hunter
during leaps from trees to the ground - giving it a softer landing and
(perhaps) helping the accuracy of these landings.  

As the pennaceous feathers were refined from a drag surface into a lift
surface, then the hindlimb feathers were dispensed with, as the forelimbs
and tail were incorporated into the flight apparatus.

All a lot of "just-so"-ing, of course...  Still, at least I'm trying to put
together a scenario that fits the fossil record, rather than going into
denial (a la those magicians at the Oregon Light & Magic Feather Lab, who
can make feathers on dinosaurs disappear - and re-appear on the backs of
Triassic prolacertiforms).


Mary Kirkaldy wrote:

> Don't forget-today is the last day to register for the grand DML 
> Fossils on our Lands tour.  As described in the first and second 
> circulars, this all-inclusive ten-day tour of Egypt, the Gobi Desert, 
> Dinosaur Provincial Park, Niger, Australia, Egg Mountain, the Isle of 
> Wight, and the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.

If time permits - and our itinerary is pretty loose, leaving abundant free
time - the tour will include a visit to the Yixian deposits of northeast
China.  There, we'll visit the local "Build-a-Dinobird Workshop", where you
can construct your own fossil chimera.  The concept is a like
"Build-a-Teddy" here in the U.S., except the raw materials include glue, a
mallet, and stone slabs containing fossil dromaeosaurids and birds.  The
most realistic-looking dinobird gets its own article in _National Geographic
Magazine_.  You even get to name it!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - don't miss out!!!!



Tim