Herrerasaurus WIP By mikitulin Watch

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...or "The Moment of Faith"



So I decided to take inspiration from the magnificent Southern Grounded Hornbill in this drawing of Herrerasaurus, even though I knew that I was setting myself up for a monumental decision further down the line. One of the defining characteristics of the Grounded Hornbill are its spectacular eye lashes and that leads to me having to take some speculative actions...



First of all, given the discovery of feathers in non-Coelurosaurid therapods and feather-like structures in Ornithiscians, is it enough evidence to suggest that protofeathers were a basal feature of dinosaurs and/or that basal therapods such as Herrerasaurus would at least have protofeathers?



Secondly, with the evolution of any epidermal growth such as hair or feathers, eyelashes are a pretty likely adaptation. However, I'd still like to hear your feedback regarding the likelihood of Triassic dinosaurs having evolved eyelashes. I also fear that with the addition of eyelashes I might transform this dignified creature into some Land Before Time abomination, but that's an aesthetic concern more so than a scientific one.



This submission is intended to facilitate conversation, so please do comment. I don't have Premium so I can't "officially" request a critique, but this is for all intents and purposes a critique.

IMAGE DETAILS Image size 2048x1536px 860.27 KB Make Samsung Techwin Model <VLUU L730 / Samsung L730> Shutter Speed 1/45 second Aperture F/3.0 Focal Length 6 mm ISO Speed 120 Date Taken Feb 20, 2012, 9:51:33 AM Show More

Published : Jul 24, 2015