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Re: Follow-up: the truth about killer dinosaurs
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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