Scientists have discovered a new 120 million-year-old dinosaur skin fossil that suggests the extinct reptile had both ‘scales and bird-like skin with feathers’.
Palaeontologists at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland found that some feathered dinosaurs had scaly skin like the reptiles we live amongst today – a discovery that scientists are calling a ‘hidden step’ in dinosaur feather evolution. The evolutionary transition from scales to feathers occurred in dinosaurs around 135–120 million years ago.
Researchers looked at a new specimen of the feathered dinosaur, Psittacosaurus, from the early Cretaceous period when dinosaurs were evolving into birds.
The study found that, for the first time, Psittacosaurus displayed reptile-like skin in areas where there were no feathers. The study, published in Nature Communications on May 21, was led by UCC palaeontologists Dr Zixiao Yang and Prof. Maria McNamara of UCC’s School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences – who teamed with scientists based at Nanjing University in China.
The transition from scales to feathers occurred in dinosaurs around 135–120 million years ago (Dr Zixiao Yang)Using UV light, the team identified patches of preserved skin, which are invisible in natural light. X-rays and infrared light also found incredible details of preserved cellular structure.
Inside WW1 military hospital abandoned for decades before new lease of life
Dr Yang said: “The fossil truly is a hidden gem. The fossil skin is not visible to the naked eye, and it remained hidden when the specimen was donated to Nanjing University in 2021. Only under UV light is the skin visible, in a striking orange-yellow glow. What is really surprising is the chemistry of the fossil skin. It is composed of silica – the same as glass. This type of preservation has never been found in vertebrate fossils. There are potentially many more fossils with hidden soft tissues awaiting discovery.”
The most extraordinary aspect of the study, however, is its findings on the evolution of feathers in dinosaurs. Prof. McNamara, senior author of the study, said: “The evolution of feathers from reptilian scales is one of the most profound yet poorly understood events in vertebrate evolution. While numerous fossils of feathers have been studied, fossil skin is much more rare.
“Our discovery suggests that soft, bird-like skin initially developed only in feathered regions of the body, while the rest of the skin was still scaly, like in modern reptiles. This zoned development would have maintained essential skin functions, such as protection against abrasion, dehydration and parasites. The first dinosaur to experiment with feathers could therefore survive and pass down the genes for feathers to their offspring.”
The 120-million-year-old Psittacosaurus specimen, NJUES-10, is currently being housed at Nanjing University in China.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
