A Feathered Dinosaur Tail with Primitive Plumage Trapped in Mid-Cretaceous Amber

[mobilehaathi]

Well, following the prehistoric bird wings that were found trapped in amber, it seemed it was only a matter of time before a dinosaur was discovered in a similar fashion.

Here we describe the feathered tail of a non-avialan theropod preserved in mid-Cretaceous (∼99 Ma) amber from Kachin State, Myanmar, with plumage structure that directly informs the evolutionary developmental pathway of feathers. This specimen provides an opportunity to document pristine feathers in direct association with a putative juvenile coelurosaur, preserving fine morphological details, including the spatial arrangement of follicles and feathers on the body, and micrometer-scale features of the plumage. Many feathers exhibit a short, slender rachis with alternating barbs and a uniform series of contiguous barbules, supporting the developmental hypothesis that barbs already possessed barbules when they fused to form the rachis. Beneath the feathers, carbonized soft tissues offer a glimpse of preservational potential and history for the inclusion; abundant Fe2+ suggests that vestiges of primary hemoglobin and ferritin remain trapped within the tail. The new finding highlights the unique preservation potential of amber for understanding the morphology and evolution of coelurosaurian integumentary structures.

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While most paleontologists dig up prehistoric bones from the ground, Lida Xing hunts for fossils in the amber markets of Myanmar. In 2015, he made a remarkable find: Trapped in what looked like golden glass was the feathered tail of a dinosaur.

Along with the primitive plumage, the 99-million-year-old amber also preserved soft tissue and eight complete vertebrae. The tail bones indicated that the specimen belonged to a dinosaur that was not a prehistoric bird and also provided researchers with insight into the evolution of feathers.

“This is the first time that skeletal material from a dinosaur has been found in amber,” Dr. Xing, who is a paleontologist at China University of Geosciences in Beijing, said in an email. He and his colleagues published their findings Thursday in the journal Current Biology.

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[ucfgrad93]

Very cool. Thanks for posting this.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Well, following the prehistoric bird wings that were found trapped in amber, it seemed it was only a matter of time before a dinosaur was discovered in a similar fashion.


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I read this earlier tonight; what an extraordinary story - absolutely fascinating.

Thanks for starting the thread.

 

[JamesMike]

A neat find.

 

[Tigger11]

Its actually basically the same find. They are all found in Burma (Myanmar) amber bought from a street vendor. The dinosaur piece was being polished for jewelry.

 

[mobilehaathi]

Its actually basically the same find. They are all found in Burma (Myanmar) amber bought from a street vendor. The dinosaur piece was being polished for jewelry.

The same find? Hardly. I think you mean they were found in similar ways from similar sources.

 

[Tigger11]

No I mean they were both part of a large quantity of Burmese Amber bought by Lida Xing on behalf of China at the Amber Market in Myitkyina, Myanmar.

 

[mobilehaathi]

No I mean they were both part of a large quantity of Burmese Amber bought by Lida Xing on behalf of China at the Amber Market in Myitkyina, Myanmar.

Right, as I said, "found in a similar way from similar sources."

 

[Old Muley]

When I first read the article and saw the photo, it really brought a moment from the distant past to life. I mean, how did the dinosaur lose it's tail? Did the tail get torn off as the dinosaur struggled to get free of the amber? Did the creature then go on to have a long (if tail-less) life? Or maybe the dino was someone's dinner and the tail scrap just got caught in the amber. In any case it is an amazing window into a world long gone.