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Dilophosaurus's two species, moreover, may be sexually
dimorphic representatives, crested females to attract males (in this case,
males being the crestless forms known as Liliensternus) -- speculation,
to be sure, but more viable than the heterosexist filters one encounters
(e.g., the gaudily frilled ceratopsians are often described as "male" to
entice females; this is nonsense: ceratopsians were female-dominated). [...]
The point is: theropods were logically matrilineal, and "horns", "crests",
etc. visual signals for smaller, drab males.
How do you arrive at
these conclusions? Among birds it's very rare that the females are ornamented (I
only know the 2 species of Rostratulidae, Rostratula benghalensis and
Nycticryphes semicollaris, as well as Phalaropus fulicarius
among Scolopacidae).
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