Re: Pterosaur feathers?

["T. Michael Keesey" <mightyodinn@yahoo.com>]

--- Dinogeorge@aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 9/3/02 5:24:51 PM EST, qilongia@yahoo.com writes:
> 
> << Oh, please. Scales are well-described, for they weren't naked skinned.
>  As in crocodilians and some lacertilians (e.g., helodermatids, including
>  fossils ones), non-overlapping, tubercular scales are known from
>  impressions and partial carbonized remains in various taxa. "Dave", NGMC
>  91 has a scalation pattern on the pes that matches birds, and distinct
>  gene work shows that bird-foot scales turn to feathers without much
>  manipulation, and there are breeds with feathers here instead (ptarmigan,
>  various gallinaceous fowl). Just a matter of playing with the
>  developments. >>
> 
> Those aren't scales, even though they look like scales. As far as I know, 
> feathers and croc scutes, and thus by phyletic bracketing dinosaur dermal 
> structures, are not homologous with lepidosaur scales, just as they're not 
> homologous with mammal hair.

Then what do turtles have?

=====
=====> T. Michael Keesey <keesey@bigfoot.com>
=====> The Dinosauricon <http://dinosauricon.com>
=====> BloodySteak <http://bloodysteak.com>
=====> Instant Messenger <Ric Blayze>
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