Re: Syntarsus feathers

["Rob Gay" <rob_redwing@hotmail.com>]

Well, despite some of the drawings I have done in the past for fun, I think 
the reality is that _Coelophysis_ and its relatives didn't have feathers. By 
use of inference and phylogenetic bracketing, we can look at _Herrerasaurus_ 
(which has t-shaped neural arches, often associated with the support of 
dermal ossicles), _Ceratosaurus_, and _Carnotaurus_, which both have scutes, 
and say that other ceratosaurs probably had scutes, and lacked feathers 
(though, admitadly, the two are not mutually exclusive). There are also 
apparently little, paper-thin round "scutes" that occasionally appear in 
Ghost Ranch blocks...
Peace,
Rob

Student of Geology
Northern Arizona University
P.O. Box 20840
Flagstaff, Az. 86011
AIM: TarryAGoat
http://dinodomain.com
http://www.cafepress.com/RobsDinos
"A _Coelophysis_ with feathers?"


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