Feathery dinosaurs can be an acquired taste. Not everyone likes seeing animals that have traditionally been wrapped in scales begin to sprout brightly-colored plumage, especially when such changes threaten to dispel the menacing appearance of Hollywood dinosaur villains like Jurassic Park‘s Velociraptor. Of course, alterations to some dinosaurs raise the dander of fossil aficionados more than others. A fluffy Siats will stir debate among experts, but, simply by dint of the dinosaur’s celebrity, the prospect of a fuzzy tyrannosaur is a pop culture flashpoint in the tussle between dinosaurs of our childhood and the animals science is uncovering.

The impending release of Walking With Dinosaurs 3D has put tyrannosaur feathers on my mind again. The Land Before