Re: Jurassic Park

[Betty Cunningham <bettyc@flyinggoat.com>]

Well many vultures are bald as an egg on the head (and frequently
shoulders) simply due to diet and hygeine.
Can you be certain of diet and hygiene of Velociraptor enough to
eliminate the possibility that it had LOST pellage?

-Bety Cunningham

T. Mike Keesey wrote:
> It is parsimonious to assume that "proto-feathers" and feathers are
> homologous. Therefore, _Velociraptor_ either had integument or secondarily
> lost it. I can think of no reason why a small, non-burrowing, non-aquatic,
> non-wallowing animal like _Velociraptor_ would lose integument.
>