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Re: Two questions on the dino-fleas
> What I do not quite understand is the unstated presumption that
> "filamentous body coverings" would be advantageous or necessary to
> proto-fleas -- I would speculate that thick dino-fuzz might difficult
> for a 2 cm flea to navigate, whereas the wrinkles, cracks and crevices
> of basal dinosaurs would provide a suitable, if sometimes disgusting,
> habitat in the _absence_ of a dense covering.
>
> Isn't it more reasonable to speculate that an early advantage of dense
> dinofuzz was that it impeded exploitation of dinos by giant fleas by 1)
> making the skin difficult to access, 2) enhancing the host's ability to
> sense moving parasites 3) generally impeding mobility, and 4) (possibly)
> even clogging spiracles with 'feather-dust'?
>
> And further, that fleas became smaller, and started jumping, as an
> adaptive response to dense body-coverings?
*lightbulb moment*