Re: The Eternal Question: Lips or Skin?

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

Mike Hanson (mhanson54@home.com) wrote:

<Why do we need osteological evidence? We may never find it anyway.
Although it may be good to find it. Sometimes we just need to think
about what is practical. For now I say that dinosaurs HAD lips and
that is what I will say, unless, we find (definate) contradicting
evidence.>

  We need osteological evidence because 1) it's what gets preserved,
and 2) because without it, all else is speculation of the highest
order, like Sereno's head for *Deltadromeus*, for which evidence is
not foretelling....

  I cannot see any way around this other than to suppose without
evidence whatever image comes to mind, or the one practical reason
which both Mike Hanson and Mark Hallett advocate.... Nothing
osteological supposes that theropod or other un-cheeked dinosaurs
possessed lips of any kind. Because the bones are all we have to go
with here, barring the rare preservation of an impression, or
carbonized traces, this is speculation.


=====
Jaime A. Headden

  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhr-gen-ti-na
  Where the Wind Comes Sweeping Down the Pampas!!!!

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