Re: Dinosaur Feathers (was RE: Bambiraptor complete!)

[Alan Kellogg <mythusmage@cts.com>]

> In a message dated 1/18/02 8:49:11 AM, mythusmage@cts.com writes:
>
> << After following the discussion for a bit a question arose. Among
> those species that bore plumage, what sort of plumage did they have?
> Did dinosaurian plumage resemble avian? To what degree? What sort of
> display plumage did they have, and when? >>
>
> "Dinosaur" plumage WAS avian. Therefore, it was to the n-th degree.
>
> eric l.

While avian, they weren't _avian_. A small but ever so important 
difference.:)

For one thing it's doubtful a dinosaur's feathers would be suited to 
flight. For insulation yes, display of course, but not flight. Among 
some species the plumage may have more closely resembled the hair 
like feathers of the kiwi, or might be mistaken for hair if live 
specimens were available. An ability to reliably peer into the 
distant past would clear up so much, and lead to new kinds of 
disagreement and confusion.

My take on this beast.

Alan
--
Mythusmage.com <http://www.mythusmage.com>
Writing Practice at: <http://www.gamingoutpost.com>