Feathered in Degrees

It may have appeared that there was an argument against feathering with Yutyrannus, but that was certainly not intended. The fact is that there is evidence that there are feathers and they definitely are there. The extent of feathering that is portrayed in illustrations are, obviously, rather different depending on the artist and their interpretations of the fossils. The amount of feathering is variable in illustration from this rather downy looking individual to the extra fuzzy looking individuals shown yesterday. A downy coating like this may have been sufficient for insulation, but it may be lacking entirely in the display aspect of feathering that usually comes to mind; though not all birds, for instance, are flashy feathered individuals. Feathers for insulation rather than used as display markers in dinosaurs could be the more primitive condition and that may be what this interpretation is showing.