Re: Sinosauropteryx tail colors

["TooTs" <DragonsClaw@gmx.net>]

Hi!

"Feathers are by nature useful for insulation, but in the absence of showy 
fans or crests as exemplified by compsognathids like *Sinosauropteryx*, what 
display advantage would they have over plain scales? "Naked" scaley reptiles 
can be perfectly bright and colorful on their own; no novel structures are 
needed."

Without any colors any sort of feathering would enlarge the shape of it's 
bearer. Since size _is_ a factor when it comes to choosing someone to mate 
with in many species, feathers could help just because they make the animal 
look larger for potential partners.
Speaking of *Microraptor*: wouldnt those leg-feathers qualify as "structures 
rather expensive to grow, showing the fitness of the individual" - display 
structures?

Greets!
TooTs


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Saint Abyssal" <saint_abyssal@yahoo.com>
To: "Dinosaur Mailing List" <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 4:39 AM
Subject: Re: Sinosauropteryx tail colors


> The article Dr. Holtz linked to reports one of the paleontologists as 
> saying that he believes that feathers were used for color-utilizing sexual 
> displays before being exapted for insulatory purposes and later flight. Am 
> I the only one who thinks the "display to insulation" scenario sounds 
> backwards? Feathers are by nature useful for insulation, but in the 
> absence of showy fans or crests as exemplified by compsognathids like 
> *Sinosauropteryx*, what display advantage would they have over plain 
> scales? "Naked" scaley reptiles can be perfectly bright and colorful on 
> their own; no novel structures are needed.
>
> Further, if the original and primary purposes of plumage *was* display, 
> wouldn't we expect the most primitive feathered dinosaurs to have showier 
> structures like the tail fans of *Caudipteryx* or *Nomingia* and more 
> derived forms gaining the *Sinosauropteryx*-like fuzzy insulatory 
> structures? Instead the reverse seems true.
>
> ~ Abyssal