Following the last post on beak anatomy in toothed birds like
Hesperornis regalis, I have been coming across some confusion online about another aspect of this ancient diving bird's anatomy. This factoid shows up in a lot of sources (including the official web site for a certain CGI-based TV show) but never, it seems, with a solid reference. I have been trying to dig into this issue myself and am finding out some interesting new info on the anatomy of this bird, to the point that one of my in-progress drawings had to be halted and revised. More on this in an upcoming post, but for now, see if you can figure out what's wrong with this picture:
Its the wings right...
ReplyDeleteI'm betting it's the Coot-like feet?
ReplyDeleteThe Leg? The Feathers?
ReplyDeleteYou guys are getting closer... ;)
ReplyDeleteThe orange feathers in the face are apparently counter-intuitive, but I think that's not the point.
ReplyDeleteCaudofemorals?
ReplyDeleteReading Williston original description of the dermal and feather impressions of a specimen of Hesperornis (now Parahesperornis), looks like it should have very long feathers on the tibiotarsi reaching down the feet. Feet and tarsometatarsi should be scutellated...
ReplyDeleteIs it the weirdo femur articulation, a more or less locked 90deg sprawl? Or, rather, that it isn't in your illustration?
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing that the "confusing aspect" is posture (upright vs. sliding around on the belly), though I don't know the answer to the challenge itself.
ReplyDeleteWould the wings be that obvious? Also, shouldn't the legs be more splayed and a bit further back?
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go out on a limb and say it's the neck. It should be more collapsed and streamlined with the body profile, a la other proficient diving birds (like penguins) and not elongated without a strong super-axial ligament system, like storks and cormorants. Just a thought.
ReplyDelete