Re: Follow-up: the truth about killer dinosaurs

[Aidan Karley <aidan_karley@yahoo.co.uk>]

In article <1f4a892d05083115483fdfa565@mail.gmail.com>, T. Michael 
Keesey wrote:
> Would a 5-ton ostrich be overheated by its feathers? Maybe, but has
> anyone done the research to show this? And, even if it were shown, is
> there any reason to think it could not simply reduce its plumage (as
> on the head and neck) rather than discard it entirely? And would the
> feathers be replaced by scales?
>
       Ask the zoo keepers at Whipsnade. What do they do when one of 
their outdoor-living elephants gets a cold? Put a coat on it?
       Actually, I'm not at all sure that the elephant herd at 
Whipsnade (52ºN) is kept full outdoors. I haven't been there for about 
20 years, but ISTR there was an "Elephant House" alongside their 
enclosure so maybe they get some shelter for when the weather is less 
than balmy. So that would imply that the UK climate is about at the 
lower margin of comfort for pachyderms.
-- 
 Aidan Karley,
 Aberdeen, Scotland,
 Location: 57°10' N,  02°09'  W (sub-tropical Aberdeen), 0.021233
 Written at Thu, 01 Sep 2005 07:24 +0100



                
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