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In Good Form Photograph by Rosamond Purcell
A lyrebird, with the showy plumage it uses to attract mates, hardly looks reptilian. But the recipe for its elaborate feathers starts with the same genes that make scales. Both scales and feathers sprout from disks of cells in the embryo called placodes. Back in the days of the dinosaurs, small changes in the genes that control this process resulted in simple, tube-like feathers. Evolution has continued to tweak feather design, building some for flight, some for warmth, and some for looks.
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Camera: Nikon D50 Format: Digital Lens: 18mm-70mm Speed and F-Stop: 1/20 @ f/6.3
Weather Conditions: Indoors Time of Day: Unrecorded Lighting Techniques: Natural light
