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Re: four winged Archaeopteryx



Dann Pigdon wrote:

I get the impression that Archie's environment was fairly tropical, so I
doubt archie really needed much insulation on its tail.

Perhaps this is why _Compsognathus_ and the Solnhofen pterosaurs are 'naked' - unlike their fuzz-covered cousins from Jehol and Karatau. An insulatory body covering might have been unnecessary in the warm, muggy conditions of Late Jurassic Europe.


If Archie didn't
get any aerodynamic benefit for such an extensive frond of tail
feathers,

Gatesy and Dial (1996) suggest that Archie's rectricial 'frond' served more for stabilization than maneuverability.


Cheers

Tim