Re: again: frill of Triceratops

[Rob Meyerson <meyersrt@uwec.edu>]

At 01:17 PM 9/17/96 -0500, Jonathan R. Wagner writes:

>One I would favor is blood support for a keratin sheath.  Since
>Triceratops in particular had marginal hornlets, perhaps the entire
>frill was covered in horn.

Is there evidence for this sheath in the chasmosaurine ceratopians?
Finding evidence would help.  IMHO, I would be very skeptical of
finding such evidence. The jaw muscles, which filled the frill
fenestra, would need to bulge out as the animal chewed; so a
keratin-covered frill would be a hindrance.

> Or maybe all of the vascularization was there to support the frill.

Not as likely.  I don't see the frill as being a structure that would
require an immense blood flow.  Perhaps there was a layer of strong
muscles on top of the surface vascularization?  This would be more
likely.

Rob Meyerson
Orphan Vertebrate Paleontologist

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