Re: Pterosaur feathers?

[Dinogeorge@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/3/02 11:17:05 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
john_conway@mac.com writes:

<< How about scutes? Why assume they evolved scutes>feathers>scutes, when 
 all you need is scutes>scutes. I don't pretend to know anything 
 scale/scute homology, but I see nothing so far that makes sauropod 
 spines any more "feathers" than iguana spines, or croc scutes. >>

How about just feathers > scutes (and pterosaur fur, and stegosaur plates, 
and psittacosaur quills, and sauropod dermal structures, and ankylosaur 
scutes)? Say feathers arose as hairlike dermal structures in Permian 
prolacertiforms (might have been useful as insulation during glacial periods 
then), then take it from there.