Takamas Question Thread

[HD-man]

Kulindadromeus was definitely feathered too. Some of its filaments are weird half-scale-type things (though not really very different from the tail feathers of enantiornithines, which BANDits also describe as scale-like feathers) but some are definitely stage 3 feathers.

Last I checked, it's not definite ("Note that the fuzz of the heterodontosaurid Tianyulong is very similar and some of the structures on Kulindadromeus are as well...Whether these turn out to be formed by convergence with theropods or retention in both groups of some ancestral dino-fuzz is not yet certain": https://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/G104/lectures/104aves.html ) ("These appear similar to those integumental structures as in Tianyulong confuciusi...But what these are and what they might be related to is the subject of debate": https://qilong.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/a-brief-moment-in-kulinda/ ), which is probably why many experts don't just call them feathers ( https://twitter.com/tetzoo/status/700722820314038273 ) ( https://twitter.com/markwitton/status/594510889119784960 ).

[Dinoguy2]

Kulindadromeus was definitely feathered too. Some of its filaments are weird half-scale-type things (though not really very different from the tail feathers of enantiornithines, which BANDits also describe as scale-like feathers) but some are definitely stage 3 feathers.

Last I checked, it's not definite ("Note that the fuzz of the heterodontosaurid Tianyulong is very similar and some of the structures on Kulindadromeus are as well...Whether these turn out to be formed by convergence with theropods or retention in both groups of some ancestral dino-fuzz is not yet certain": https://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/G104/lectures/104aves.html ) ("These appear similar to those integumental structures as in Tianyulong confuciusi...But what these are and what they might be related to is the subject of debate": https://qilong.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/a-brief-moment-in-kulinda/ ), which is probably why many experts don't just call them feathers ( https://twitter.com/tetzoo/status/700722820314038273 ) ( https://twitter.com/markwitton/status/594510889119784960 ).

"Those on the humerus are wider (0.2 to 0.4 mm) and straighter than those on the femur (0.1 to 0.2 mm). These groups of filaments are similar to feather morphotype 3 (21, 22) and resemble the down feathers of some modern chicken breeds, such as the Silkie, which are devoid of barbules (17). "
--The actual paper.

Yes, people are being a bit conservative. But if these turn out to be convergence, it will be terrible news for the field of evolutionary biology, because if something as complex as a stage 3 feather can arise twice in two sister clades and appear morphologically this similar, then discerning which structures are homologues and which are analogues will be virtually impossible from then on.

Let's look at this another way: These structures are much more similar to bird feathers than anything on Sciurumimus or Yutyrannus or Beipiaosaurus. The only reason people doubt these but accept those is because they can't believe feathers would be lost in many intervening dinosaur lineages. This is the logical fallacy "argument from incredulity" and does not follow. If you doubt these are feathers, you should doubly doubt the "feathers" of Yutyrannus and Dilong, which aren't even branched or basally compound, let alone stage 3 and apparently very similar to the down of modern birds.

[Takama]

I think i will just leave the Coelophysis Scaly.   

[Takama]

Ok so the common image of saichania with armourd legs is currently inaccurate right?  And it has been refer to as Pinacosaurus sp. With this in mind what would be a good example of a updated look of saichania?

[Takama]

Ok on to something different.     

What is the likelihood that the large Proceratosaurid Sinotyrannus had a Crest like Guanlong?   Is it proven that all of these members had a Crest?

[Dinoguy2]

Ok on to something different.     

What is the likelihood that the large Proceratosaurid Sinotyrannus had a Crest like Guanlong?   Is it proven that all of these members had a Crest?

Hard to tell, but it's fairly likely. All Tyrannosauroids have some type of ridge on the snout, though not necessarily a bony crest, and even in Tyrannosauroids the idea that this might have supported a larger soft tissue crest isn't really explored enough in art...

[Takama]

Well A new paper just came out, saying that Elaphrosaurus is actually a Noasaur now along with Deltadromeous.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/zoj.12425/abstract;jsessionid=DB8A6D9B14700E39CAD3A061EF793A6B.f02t03

Now I would like to have Kayaksaurus do a Elaphrosaurus, but since its a Noasaur now, how do i have him make the skull?   Its related to Limasaurus, which has a Beaked one, but arent most noasaurs like Masikasaurus?

To add to this, whats the best way to replicate a Skull of Deltadromeous?   Should i recomend a limusaurus skull or a Masikasaurus skull?

[Sim]

A recent paper describes two new theropods both based on fragmentary remains, the carcharodontosaurid Taurovenator and the megaraptoran Aoniraptor.  It also says Deltadromeus, Bahariasaurus and this new megaraptoran "probably constitute a still poorly known clade of megaraptoran tyrannosauroids different from the Megaraptoridae."  Funnily enough, Deltadromeus was originally described as a coelurosaur.

[Dinoguy2]

A recent paper describes two new theropods both based on fragmentary remains, the carcharodontosaurid Taurovenator and the megaraptoran Aoniraptor.  It also says Deltadromeus, Bahariasaurus and this new megaraptoran "probably constitute a still poorly known clade of megaraptoran tyrannosauroids different from the Megaraptoridae."  Funnily enough, Deltadromeus was originally described as a coelurosaur.

Yeah, the association with Limusaurus is not strong, so I think "generic theropod skull" would be your best bet for now. Even if it is a relative of Limusaurus, it's more basal, so it could still have been a carnivore.

[Takama]

Ok who thinks this is a good idea?

I taken some notes from this blog post

http://dinogoss.blogspot.com/2016/05/youre-doing-it-wrong-microraptor-tails.html

And decided to do a Velociraptor. with the Feather proportions of Zhenyuanlong.

Then i got to thinking of the fact that, Velociraptor lived in a Desert environment, and probably was in a color that would fit.   So i got to thinking of colors on modern birds that lived in desserts and thats when i thought of a roadrunner.

Is it feasible for a Velocirapto to get into a pose  to this?



My idea is to have the Raptor look as bird like as possible (and perhaps bore the daylights out of awesome bros)

[spinosaurus1]

that pose is definitely possible for the dromaeosaur

[Takama]

Ok now for a dinosaur thats never talked about despite being featured in a famous novel.

I grown an interest in a Dinosaur called Mussaurus, due to its appearance in the sequel to Jurassic park.    Now all images i saw of this animal show it in a quadrupedal stance. but its most famous fossil is a juvenile that was so tiny that it was once the smallest dinosaur on record.   

But there are reports of adult specimens that may have grown up to 3 meters long. my question is this.   Is this species a biped like Plateosaurus? or a Qaudroped like Melenarosaurus?

[Dinoguy2]

Ok now for a dinosaur thats never talked about despite being featured in a famous novel.

I grown an interest in a Dinosaur called Mussaurus, due to its appearance in the sequel to Jurassic park.    Now all images i saw of this animal show it in a quadrupedal stance. but its most famous fossil is a juvenile that was so tiny that it was once the smallest dinosaur on record.   

But there are reports of adult specimens that may have grown up to 3 meters long. my question is this.   Is this species a biped like Plateosaurus? or a Qaudroped like Melenarosaurus?

Mussaurus seems to be pretty closely related to Aardonyx, which normally walked bipedal but had already evolved the ability to move as a quadruped. So I'd base it on that. Mostly bipedal, quadruped when feeding etc.

[Takama]

Ok now for a dinosaur thats never talked about despite being featured in a famous novel.

I grown an interest in a Dinosaur called Mussaurus, due to its appearance in the sequel to Jurassic park.    Now all images i saw of this animal show it in a quadrupedal stance. but its most famous fossil is a juvenile that was so tiny that it was once the smallest dinosaur on record.   

But there are reports of adult specimens that may have grown up to 3 meters long. my question is this.   Is this species a biped like Plateosaurus? or a Qaudroped like Melenarosaurus?

Mussaurus seems to be pretty closely related to Aardonyx, which normally walked bipedal but had already evolved the ability to move as a quadruped. So I'd base it on that. Mostly bipedal, quadruped when feeding etc.

Would this be a good example of an adult musaurus?



OR is this more likly

[Dinoguy2]

Ok now for a dinosaur thats never talked about despite being featured in a famous novel.

I grown an interest in a Dinosaur called Mussaurus, due to its appearance in the sequel to Jurassic park.    Now all images i saw of this animal show it in a quadrupedal stance. but its most famous fossil is a juvenile that was so tiny that it was once the smallest dinosaur on record.   

But there are reports of adult specimens that may have grown up to 3 meters long. my question is this.   Is this species a biped like Plateosaurus? or a Qaudroped like Melenarosaurus?

Mussaurus seems to be pretty closely related to Aardonyx, which normally walked bipedal but had already evolved the ability to move as a quadruped. So I'd base it on that. Mostly bipedal, quadruped when feeding etc.

Would this be a good example of an adult musaurus?



OR is this more likly

I'd say the first one, though it's a bit shrink-wrapped. The second one is trying too hard to preserve the classic look of the holotype (big head, big eyes, makes it look like a baby).

I don't know if the proportions are right or not though, I don't think I've ever seen a skeletal of the adult. But comparing to Aardonyx should be informative.

[Takama]

Ok is there any evidence against restoring Parasaurolophus with a skin sail on its crest like the Battat model?

The next model in the Sinervo and Morris collection will be this popular dinosaur and i was wondering if it would be alright to give it this speculative feature.