Fossilized skin reveals coevolution with feathers and metabolism in feathered dinosaurs and early birds

oleh: Maria E. McNamara, Fucheng Zhang, Stuart L. Kearns, Patrick J. Orr, André Toulouse, Tara Foley, David W. E. Hone, Chris S. Rogers, Michael J. Benton, Diane Johnson, Xing Xu, Zhonghe Zhou

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Nature Portfolio 2018-05-01

Deskripsi

In addition to the evolutionary innovation of feathers, bird skin has complex adaptations. Here, McNamara and colleagues examine exceptionally preserved skin from feathered dinosaurs and ancient birds from the Cretaceous and show the early acquisition of many skin attributes seen in modern species.