Fw: Allosaur skin

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

I apologize for the repetition, here, but my previous post omitted the URL, 
so here we go again...


> Now that I have the URL for the 2003 SVP Abstract Volume,

which is http://www.vertpaleo.org/meetings/VRPA2303supp_all.pdf,

> 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