Fossil evidence indicates that several kinds of flightless dinosaurs possessed feathers. If some of these feather-bearing dinosaurs incubated clutches of eggs in carefully constructed nests, this might be evidence supporting the claim that
A) dinosaurs were as fully endothermal (warm-blooded) as modern birds and mammals.
B) their feathers originally served as insulation, and only later became flight surfaces.
C) the earliest reptiles could fly, and the feathers of flightless dinosaurs were vestigial flight surfaces.
D) the feathers were plucked from the bodies of other adults to provide nest-building materials.
E) all fossils with feathers are actually some kind of bird.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Feathers serving as insulation for incubating eggs suggests a non-flight function for feathers, supporting the idea that they evolved for insulation before being used for flight.

Fossil Evidence Indicates That Several Kinds of Flightless Dinosaurs Possessed