Allosaur skin

[Dino Guy Ralph <ralph.miller@alumni.usc.edu>]

Now that I have the URL for the 2003 SVP Abstract Volume, I can refer 
interested parties to the abstract by Pinegar et al., "A juvenile allosaur 
with preserved integument from the basal Morrison Formation of central 
Wyoming," on pp. 87A/87B.  Please note that if you wish to print this page 
out you will need to specify pp. 89-90 during printer setup.

Quoting the abstract:
"The left side of the body preserves a 30 cm squared skin impression 
consisting of small scales 2-3 mm in diameter.  This suggests that juvenile 
allosaurs possessed scaly integument.  This represents the most derived 
tetanuran to retain this character, otherwise present in more basal 
theropods such as _Carnotaurus_."

Actually, given a length estimate of 4 meters for the allosaur, _Allosaurus 
sp._, 30 sq. cm. isn't all that much skin.
--------
"Dino Guy" Ralph W. Miller III
Docent at the California Academy of Sciences
proud member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology