Re: Sordes "feathers?" (was Shuvuuia`s feathers)

["Larry Febo" <larryf@capital.net>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Dave Unwin <h0662eka@rz.hu-berlin.de>
To: <larryf@capital.net>; dinolist dinolist <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 1999 3:08 AM
Subject: Re: Sordes "feathers?" (was Shuvuuia`s feathers)


> Hello Larry Febo, and other dinolist people
>
> >Hello Dr Holtz! Do you,...(or does anybody on the list) know if such an
> >analysis has been done on the "integuementary fibres" of Sordes
pilosus???
> >Also,...hasn`t Unwin tried to show that these fibres are not featherlike
> >in nature?....(I would know this one if I had a copy of his book "Biology
> >of Pterosaurs",...but alas, have not yet recieved a copy.....ps,...does
> >this book even exist or is it just a rumor????
>
>
> Sordes does have 'integumentary fibres' but no, they are not
> feather-like, at least compared with the feathers of extant birds.
> Interestingly though, they show some gross similarity to the
> integumentary strucutres reported on some of the Laioning theropods.
> However, before this leads to endless speculation on the evolution of
> feathers, the relationships of pterosaurs to   other ornithodirans and so
> on, I have a general comment that applies to pterosaurs, Longisquama and
> theropod/bird feathers at least. Its hard enough to describe skeletal and
> dental anatomy and get even a majority of ones colleagues to agree on the
> definition and distribution of such hard tissue structures. Fossilised
> soft tissue structures are much, much harder to deal with and until one
> has seen (what one hopes) is the same structure preserved in a variety of
> taphonomic settings and in a variety of taxa we should be extremely
> cautious about drawing any kinds of conclusions regarding the
> construction, function and homolgy of such structures. In some cases, and
> Longisquama (which I have also examined) is a good one, we may have to
> accept that the preservation, at least among known specimens, may not be
> good enough (now or ever) to resolve some of the key questions.
> (Incidentally, regarding Longisquama - the bone remains are rather poorly
> preserved - considerably worse for example than in Sharovipteryx, and
> fine details are likely to be a matter of personal interpretation).
>
> Anyway, back to the main thread - I agree with earlier contributors that
> what is really needed are detailed, desk-bending, monographic accounts of
> these key taxa, with oodles of photos and drawings. I hope to contribute
> to this with a couple of biggies next year on pterosaurs. Speaking of
> which, we come to the thorny topic of the 'Biology of Pterosaurs'. An
> incomplete MS does exist and is inching toward completion - but don't
> hold your breath. Quite a lot has been happening (and changing ) with
> pterosaurs in the last few years (see for example a new animation of
> pterosaur walking I plan to present at SVP with Don Henderson - yes I
> know - it was a shameless plug) so the book MS gets moved down the
> pile(s) and so on. Earliest publication date is now likely to be 2001 and
> thats assuming no one finds any more interesting pterosaurs between now
> and then - which of course they won't.
>
> OK, its my tea time now,
>
> Ta ra
>
> Dave
>
>
>
>
>
>
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> David M Unwin
> Curator for Fossil Reptiles and Birds
> Institut fur Palaontologie
> MUSEUM FUR NATURKUNDE
> Zentralinstitut der Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin
> Invalidenstrasse 43
> D-10115 Berlin
> GERMANY
>
> Email: david.unwin@rz.hu-berlin.de
>
> Tel. numbers:
>
> 0049 30 2093 8577 (office)
> 0049 30 2093 8862 (department secretary)
> 0049 30 2093 8868 (fax)
>
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>
>
Thanks for that reply Dr. Unwin! (I was seriously thinking of getting your
email address and inquiring of you directly since Barnes and Nobel never
returned an answer as  to that missing title........ Always wanting to
aquire more info about those Pterosaurs.  Guess I`ll have to track down some
of your recent articles......thanks again.


Larry Febo