Re: Re., SCANSORIOPTERYX

["Steve Brusatte" <dinoland@lycos.com>]

On Sun, 24 Nov 2002 12:41:19  
 Jaime A. Headden wrote:
>Steve  Brusatte (dinoland@lycos.com) wrote:
>
><Correct me if I'm wrong (it's been awhile since I've read the >paper, so I 
>very well could be), but didn't Zhang et al. mention a >few traces of filament 
>on the _Epidendrosaurus_ slab??  Or, am I >thinking of something else?  In any 
>event, I don't think there was much preserved.>
>
>Aside from the bulk of the bony elements, and much of the skull is
>preserved as positive impressions, the type of *Epidendrosaurus* >lack any 
>_bona fide_ integumental structures, unlike the type of >*Scansoriopteryx*, 
>which has large traces of short filaments about >the neck, arm, leg, and a 
>small patch of naked, scaly skin on one >side of a portion of tail. Luis Rey's 
>recent, very gorgeous >painting of *Epidendrosaurus* uses the integument of 
>the latter >taxon and offers the base of the tail as nakes but otherwise 
>>bearing long dorsal and lateral filaments, which is just as likely.

Ah, all right.  However, what do you mean exactly by bona fide??  There is 
something preserved on the _Epidendrosaurus_ slab, and Zhang et al. do refer to 
it as some sort of integument.  It does look very faint and scrappy, but it is 
_something_.  Does it compare well to the better preserved filament on the 
_Scansoriopteryx_ slab?  I haven't seen the Czerkas paper yet, so I can't 
comment.

And, yes, HP Rey's painting is absolutely beautiful!  I also greatly enjoyed 
Dan Bensen's art that he posted today.

Steve

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******************************************************
Stephen Brusatte
Geophysical Sciences
University of Chicago
Dino Land Paleontology-http://www.geocities.com/stegob
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