Credit: Dr. Zixiao YangA study by University College Cork reveals that the feathered dinosaur Psittacosaurus also had reptilian-like flaky skin, using brand-new insights into the evolutionary transition from scales to feathers.Researchers discovered zoned development in dinosaur skin, with zones of reptile-style scales and zones of bird-like skin with feathersNew dinosaur skin fossil found to be composed of silica– the exact same product found in glassDiscovery sheds light on the evolution from scales to feathersPaleontologists in Ireland have uncovered proof that certain feathered dinosaurs had flaky skin like reptiles today, using brand-new insights into the evolutionary shift from scales to feathers.In their research study, the researchers analyzed a freshly found specimen of the feathered dinosaur Psittacosaurus, dating back to the early Cretaceous period (135– 120 million years ago)– a vital age for the development of dinosaurs into birds. While various fossils of plumes have been studied, fossil skin is much more uncommon.” Our discovery suggests that soft, bird-like skin at first established just in feathered regions of the body, while the rest of the skin was still scaly, like in modern-day reptiles.
Studied dinosaur specimen NJUES-10 under natural (upper half) and UV light (lower half) showing the orange-yellow fluorescence of the fossil skin. Credit: Dr. Zixiao YangA study by University College Cork exposes that the feathered dinosaur Psittacosaurus likewise had reptilian-like flaky skin, offering new insights into the evolutionary transition from scales to feathers.Researchers discovered zoned advancement in dinosaur skin, with zones of reptile-style scales and zones of bird-like skin with feathersNew dinosaur skin fossil found to be composed of silica– the same product discovered in glassDiscovery sheds light on the advancement from scales to feathersPaleontologists in Ireland have exposed proof that certain feathered dinosaurs had flaky skin like reptiles today, offering brand-new insights into the evolutionary shift from scales to feathers.In their research, the scientists analyzed a recently discovered specimen of the feathered dinosaur Psittacosaurus, dating back to the early Cretaceous duration (135– 120 million years ago)– a crucial age for the development of dinosaurs into birds. While various fossils of feathers have actually been studied, fossil skin is much more uncommon.” Our discovery suggests that soft, bird-like skin initially developed only in feathered areas of the body, while the rest of the skin was still scaly, like in modern reptiles.
