Looking back: A groundbreaking discovery of North America’s first feathered dinosaur fossils by Canadian Scientists, a pivotal moment in paleontological history - Media News 48

Looking back: A groundbreaking discovery of North America’s first feathered dinosaur fossils by Canadian Scientists, a pivotal moment in paleontological history

 

The ostrich-like dinosaurs in the original Jurassic Park movie were portrayed as a herd of scaly, fleet-footed animals being chased by a ferocious Tyrannosaurus rex. New research published in the prestigious journal Science reveals this depiction of these bird-mimic dinosaurs is not entirely accurate — the ornithomimids, as they are scientifically

The new study, led by paleontologists Darla Zelenitsky from the University of Calgary and François Therrien from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, describes the first ornithomimid specimens preserved with feathers, recovered from 75 million-year-old rocks in the badlands of Alberta, Canada.

“This is a really exciting discovery as it represents the first feathered dinosaur specimens found in the Western Hemisphere,” says Zelenitsky, assistant professor at the University of Calgary and lead author of the study. “Furthermore, despite the many ornithomimid skeletons known, these specimens are also the first to reveal that ornithomimids were covered in feathers, like several other groups of theropod dinosaurs.”

The researchers found evidence of feathers preserved with a juvenile and two adults skeletons of Ornithomimus, a dinosaur that belongs to the group known as ornithomimids. This discovery suggests that all ornithomimid dinosaurs would have had feathers.

The specimens reveal an interesting pattern of change in feathery plumage during the life of Ornithomimus. “This dinosaur was covered in down-like feathers throughout life, but only older individuals developed larger feathers on the arms, forming wing-like structures,” says Zelenitsky. “This pattern differs from that seen in birds, where the wings generally develop very young, soon after hatching.”

Artistic reconstruction of feathered ornithomimid dinosaurs found in Alberta.

This discovery of early wings in dinosaurs too big to fly indicates the initial use of these structures was not for flight.

“The fact that wing-like forelimbs developed in more mature individuals suggests they were used only later in life, perhaps associated with reproductive behaviors like display or egg brooding,” says Therrien, curator at the Royal Tyrrell Museum and co-author of the study.

Darla Zelenitsky in Alberta badlands where the feathered dinosaurs were found.

Until now feathered dinosaur skeletons had been recovered almost exclusively from fine-grained rocks in China and Germany. “It was previously thought that feathered dinosaurs could only fossilize in muddy sediment deposited in quiet waters, such as the bottom of lakes and lagoons,” says Therrien. “But the discovery of these ornithomimids in sandstone shows that feathered dinosaurs can also be preserved in rocks deposited by ancient flowing rivers.”

Because sandstone is the type of rock that most commonly preserves dinosaur skeletons, the Canadian discoveries reveal great new potential for the recovery of feathered dinosaurs worldwide.

The fossils will be on display this fall at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta.

Related Posts

Unearthing a Colossal Beast: Remarkable Discovery of a New Dinosaur Species in Australia Revealed

Tһ𝚎 с𝚘п𝚏і𝚛m𝚊tі𝚘п 𝚘𝚏 tһ𝚎 ɩ𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚎ѕt 𝚍іп𝚘ѕ𝚊𝚞𝚛 ѕk𝚎ɩ𝚎tаɩ 𝚊ѕ 𝚊 п𝚎w ѕр𝚎сі𝚎ѕ 𝚍іѕс𝚘ⱱ𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 іп Α𝚞ѕt𝚛𝚊ɩі𝚊 m𝚊𝚛kѕ 𝚊 m𝚘п𝚞m𝚎пt𝚊ɩ Ьг𝚎аktһг𝚘ᴜɡһ іп 𝚙𝚊ɩ𝚎𝚘пt𝚘ɩ𝚘𝚐𝚢, 𝚞пⱱ𝚎іɩіп𝚐 𝚊п 𝚊w𝚎-іпѕ𝚙і𝚛іп𝚐 сһ𝚊𝚙t𝚎𝚛 іп tһ𝚎 𝚎агtһ’ѕ…

Discover 70 million year old giant dinosaur footprints exсаⱱаted by scientists in Alaska

In a monumental archaeological Ьгeаktһгoᴜɡһ, scientists have ᴜпeагtһed a treasure trove of dinosaur footprints dating back a staggering 70 million years in the rugged landscapes of Alaska….

Titanoboa foѕѕіɩѕ: a ѕрeсіeѕ that domіпаted prehistoric swamps as giant snakes of the past

The Titanoboa, an awe-inspiring ѕрeсіeѕ that once domіпаted prehistoric swamps, has left an indelible mагk on the annals of paleontological history. Fossil eⱱіdeпсe of this сoɩoѕѕаɩ serpent…

Discovered a huge dinosaur bone store stuck in the Sahara desert

A ɡгoᴜпdЬгeаkіпɡ discovery has emerged from the vast expanse of the Sahara desert, where an extensive store of сoɩoѕѕаɩ dinosaur bones has been found. This remarkable find…

A гагe fossil of a prehistoric moпѕteг-fish’s spiral of chainsaw-like teeth has been found in Russia

A гагe fossil of a prehistoric moпѕteг-fish’s spiral of chainsaw-like teeth has been discovered in Russia, shedding new light on the іпсгedіЬɩe diversity of ancient aquatic creatures…

World’s biggest һeагt: the 440-pound blue whale’s body part is the same size as a Smartcar and is the first to be found in Toronto

In the һeагt of Toronto’s renowned museum scene, an astonishing and massive treasure has taken center stage: the world’s largest һeагt, an awe-inspiring 440-pound organ, comparable in…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *