I think early feathers were hairlike but obviously in the sense of fur that covered the body. There were a lot of evolutionary factors that led to out hair that's (1.) only on the head and (2.) grows far longer than necessary.
we have hair all over our bodies. most of it is vellous hair though so it isnt as visible. we just have far less terminal hair than other primates, but the hair density isnt that much lower. as far as the head hair growing long, its not that its unnecessary its just for different purposes than most animal fur. head hair is primarily social, and people like people with long hair, so theres a social benefit to having nice head hair that can grow long. its so ingrained that being completely bald is socially isolating to some extent, especially for women.
True. My point still stands that to get to the point in the post requires a lot of evolutionary oddities that only happened in humans. So the steps are more or less the same: developing fur, reducing it everywhere except for the head and elongating it on the head. Dinosaurs might have had furlike feathers but that's where it ends.
There is also the argument to make that once early humans developed the ability to cut hair, there was no evolutionary pressure on restricting the length. So it might have started as a sign of health and strength so it grew longer to the point that they decided to cut it and from there it went off uncontrolled.
But what if a group of dinosaurs independently evolved hair or something highly convergent to it, but then that lineage left no descendants among modern birds, leaving none of them with the trait?
30 Comments
paranoid@lemmy.world · 54 pts · 51d
It was recently proven that at least some dinosaurs had feathers after a piece of amber was found with a perfectly preserved dinosaur tail
a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 51d
I scanned and it said 2016? I thought we knew this for longer.
paranoid@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 51d
It was speculated for a long time, but the proof is only 10 years old
a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 50d
Huh. I'll be.
bitteroldcoot@piefed.social · 20 pts · 51d
Yes we can. Hair is a mammal thing.
Also, no hairy birds.
SaltyIceteaMaker@lemmy.ml · 16 pts · 51d
do we know that ONLY mammals had hair for the entirety of evolution? /genuine
bitteroldcoot@piefed.social · 10 pts · 51d
There is a hairy frog. But he’s something of a psycho aberration.
Bougie_Birdie@piefed.blahaj.zone · 13 pts · 51d
Well you can't just drop a bomb like that without backing it up
What the actual fuck is this misbegotten creature? It pumps blood into its hair, and it can break its toes to make Wolverine claws
Nature is metal
sbv@sh.itjust.works · 12 pts · 51d
This is the greatest opening line in a Wikipedia article that I have ever read.
faintwhenfree@lemmus.org · 1 pts · 50d
People believe eating them restores fertility. People eat hairy frogs.
bitteroldcoot@piefed.social · 4 pts · 51d
Very much the teenage mutant ninja honey badger of frogs.
AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 50d
There are hairy crustaceans.
lugal@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 51d
I think early feathers were hairlike but obviously in the sense of fur that covered the body. There were a lot of evolutionary factors that led to out hair that's (1.) only on the head and (2.) grows far longer than necessary.
applebusch@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 51d
we have hair all over our bodies. most of it is vellous hair though so it isnt as visible. we just have far less terminal hair than other primates, but the hair density isnt that much lower. as far as the head hair growing long, its not that its unnecessary its just for different purposes than most animal fur. head hair is primarily social, and people like people with long hair, so theres a social benefit to having nice head hair that can grow long. its so ingrained that being completely bald is socially isolating to some extent, especially for women.
lugal@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 50d
True. My point still stands that to get to the point in the post requires a lot of evolutionary oddities that only happened in humans. So the steps are more or less the same: developing fur, reducing it everywhere except for the head and elongating it on the head. Dinosaurs might have had furlike feathers but that's where it ends.
There is also the argument to make that once early humans developed the ability to cut hair, there was no evolutionary pressure on restricting the length. So it might have started as a sign of health and strength so it grew longer to the point that they decided to cut it and from there it went off uncontrolled.
panda_abyss@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 51d
It’s highly probable if dinosaurs evolved to look like this they’d have trouble breeding and die out.
VaalaVasaVarde@sopuli.xyz · 6 pts · 51d
All the males only listened to Tatesaur, and then all the females lost interest.
CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social · 3 pts · 51d
But what if a group of dinosaurs independently evolved hair or something highly convergent to it, but then that lineage left no descendants among modern birds, leaving none of them with the trait?
bitteroldcoot@piefed.social · 7 pts · 51d
If we are going to make up stuff we can’t prove or disprove, at least go big. Like maybe some of them breathed fire.
popekingjoe@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 51d
And had big ass wings, and ate prehistoric cows in one bite. They also yelled a lot.
john_lemmy@slrpnk.net · 13 pts · 51d
Pretty sure we can, since there's no keytars in the fossil record
sundray@lemmus.org · 8 pts · 51d
Stylisaurus!
BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 51d
Dude!
webp@mander.xyz · 4 pts · 50d
That style went out of fasion eons ago
jobbies@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 51d
Maybe she's born with it
REDACTED@infosec.pub · 3 pts · 51d
https://nypost.com/2019/03/09/t-rex-exhibit-features-terrifying-beast-with-a-feathery-mullet/
Godric@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 51d
Give him a canadian tuxedo, and he looks like a guy I went to college with XD
Actionschnils@feddit.org · 3 pts · 50d
Dinosaur Jr?
Jackcooper@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 51d
She needs the fake eyelashes which for them may have been real
bananasuit@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 51d
That has to be Haalands ancestor