molt

[Betty Cunningham <bettyc@flyinggoat.com>]

Snakes molt in nice long skins.

Lizards molt in big 'ol patches. (Do crocodiles and alligators molt in
the same fashion as lizards?)

Birds molt by loosing older feathers and growing new ones in a very
patchy manner of molting. (when birds molt do they lose ALL feathers, or
PARTICULAR feathers?  Is it cyclic in that particular feathers are lost
one time and different particular feathers are lost another time so as
to preserve flight abilities?).  Bird beaks, talons and claws, and
scales also peel off old skin during a molt.

Thus since ALL dinosaur relatives molt, one should assume dinosaurs
molted as well.  

In what way is it most likely that dinosaurs molted?  I picture in
patches like a Gila Monster so as to work in the same manner with the
scutes. 

Sauropods would be molting with growth, and loosing minerals with each
skin loss.  I suspect sauropods ate other herd members peels as a mutual
grooming that would benefit individuals (and take back whatever minerals
would be lost through skin loss).  Juveniles could benefit as a herd
situation would provide a juvenile with more peels than it could ingest
at one time and thus get some of the minerals needed for rapid growth.

Would ceratopian horns molt?  I assume this is material more like the
horns of a ram in that growth around the bony core is constant, but in
picturing crested birds such as toucans and cassowaries, they all lose
skin on the crested portion along with the rest of the molting taking
place.

hmmm.

-Betty Cunningham