RE: Dino/Birds? was Mesozoic snow?

[Andrew Simpson <deathspresso@yahoo.com>]

I am shocked. We continously being told that all these
theropods are feathered. The artists are putting
feathers on everything thesedays. But you seem to be
saying that we have only two theropods with proof of
feathers? 

Madness. 

What is up with all those Dino-Birds in china. Are
they flat out birds or is there some cross into the
dino realm? 

Andrew Simpson


--- Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. wrote:
> 
> > > Yep - with the emphasis on 'undisputed'.  We
> have direct proof of 
> >feathers
> > > in _Archaeopteryx_, but not for any other
> pre-Cretaceous theropod (or
> > > anything else, for that matter)
> >
> >Pedopenna is definitely feathered, and *might* be
> from the Middle Jurassic. 
> >(Indeed, most of the Chinese paleos and geologists
> I have spoken to are 
> >very certain about that date).
> 
> _Pedopenna_ is indisputably feathered - endowed as
> it is with those 
> mysterious butt-fans.  But I guess we're not quite
> at the point where we can 
> say that this guy is *indisputably* Jurassic.  It
> all hinges on the age of 
> the Daohugou Beds.  I'm glad to hear that there is a
> consensus emerging on 
> that point, though.  If these beds are of Middle
> Jurassic age, then 
> _Epidendrosaurus_ (=_Scansoriopteryx_?) would be the
> earliest known bird - 
> if Xu and Zhang (2005) are correct in referring
> _Epidendrosaurus_ to the 
> bird clade.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Tim
> 
> 
> 


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