Re: If Dinosaurs Could Fly

[Dinogeorge <Dinogeorge@aol.com>]

In a message dated 98-01-20 16:23:42 EST, bettyc@flyinggoat.com writes:

<< Animal hair best suited to insulation is thin and floppy and covers the
anmal
 more thickly than non-insulating hairs (it's smaller at the base, for one
thing)
 This retains body heat trapped in individual air pockets.  We all know that.
  >>

For a different slant on the origin of feathers, you might want to read this:

Reichholf, J. H., 1996. "Die Feder, die Mauser und der Ursprung der Vögel,"
Archaeopteryx 14: 27-38.

Yes, it's in German, but the lengthy English abstract states his idea that
feathers originated as a mechanism for keratin excretion and found other uses
later (insulation, flight, etc.).