Re: Oxalaia, new spinosaur from Brazil

[Jura <pristichampsus@yahoo.com>]

I gotta say, that feather looks unreal. That is to say, it looks like a real 
feather, and not a fossil (it looks like it is 3D and not an impression). 

According to Google translate, the finding is being viewed as evidence for some 
feathered, non-flying animal. I'm assuming this was based off the feather being 
rather frail and symmetrical, rather than anything else. Again, according to 
Google translate, it could be from a dinosaur, or from a secondarily flightless 
bird (or, IMO, a non-flight feather of a regular bird). 

Mind you, Google translate also said this about _Oxalaia quilombensis_:

"The animal also had a candle in the back, which could serve as a sex 
attractant for the regulation of heat or impress an opponent."

So, by all means, take the translation with a grain of salt.

Jason


--- On Thu, 17/3/11, bh480@scn.org <bh480@scn.org> wrote:

> From: bh480@scn.org <bh480@scn.org>
> Subject: Re: Oxalaia, new spinosaur from Brazil
> To: dinosaur@usc.edu
> Received: Thursday, 17 March, 2011, 12:21 AM
> From: Ben Creisler
> bh480@scn.org
> 
> 
> First, apologizes for a dumb typo--the species is
> quilombensis, of
> course--I accidentally added another "is"...My bad.
> 
> Here's a link that shows a photo of a feather from
> Araripe:
> 
> 
> http://ultimosegundo.ig.com.br/ciencia/museu+nacional+anuncia+descoberta+de+
> maior+dinossauro+brasileiro/n1238173011806.html
> 
> 
> The supposed "skull" of the dinosaur in some images is
> definitely a
> reconstruction of the crocodile Pepesuchus and NOT Oxalaia
> as the caption
> says. Apparently, a lot of news sources have the captions
> mixed up:
> 
> http://www.eluniversal.com/2011/03/16/cientificos-descubren-el-dinosaurio-ca
> rnivoro-mas-grande-de-brasil.shtml
> http://www.lasegunda.com/Noticias/CienciaTecnologia/2011/03/633287/Cientific
> os-descubren-el-dinosaurio-carnivoro-mas-grande-de-Brasil
> 
> 
> 
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