Re: help: reptile scale to bird feathers

[Michael Sternberg <mstern@xxxxxxx>]

Mickey-
Another plausible reason for the development of deciduous feathers would be
to remove nitrogenous waste.  Store that nitrogen in something that falls
out once or twice a year.

Michael
>
>Well, if I were you I'd jump through hoops to make it clear that *why*
>feathers evolved (initially) is largely unknown.  Most seem to think
>thermoregulation was primary, but there are other ideas such as
>providing aerodynamic drag and cushioning for falling arboreal
>animals, or -- one of my favorites -- proposed by Jere Lipps and
>Richard Cowan for display structures.  Richard's proposal has been
>published in his book _History of Life_ (Blackwell, 2nd Ed. 1994).  He
>also submitted it to the dinosaur list, so you can find it in the
>archives -- sort Jan 1995 by author and read through the messages
>written by cowen@geology.ucdavis.edu.
>