Re: Oviraptorosaurs as prehistoric "peacocks"

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@umd.edu>]

On Sat, November 5, 2011 1:20 am, Tim Williams wrote:
> Ben Creisler <bh480@scn.org> wrote:
>
>>From the abstract:
>
> "These new finds show that pygostyles and, by
> associational inference, tail-tip feather-fans were widespread amongst
> both
> advanced and primitive oviraptorosaurs."
>
> It's worth noting that confuciusornithids and enantiornitheans have a
> pygostyle, but the tail feathers do not form a fan.  AFAIK, within the
> bird clade, rectricial fans are limited to the
> Ornithuromorpha/Euornithes lineage.
>
And is associated in the living forms (at least) with the development of
the retricial bulb, which may have been absent outside euornithines.


Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Email: tholtz@umd.edu   Phone: 301-405-4084
Office: Centreville 1216
Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Dept. of Geology, University of Maryland
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
Fax: 301-314-9661

Faculty Director, Science & Global Change Program, College Park Scholars
http://www.geol.umd.edu/sgc
Fax: 301-314-9843

Mailing Address:        Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                        Department of Geology
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