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First Dinosaur Tail Found Preserved In Amber Is 99-Million-Years-Old And Covered In Feathers

While collecting samples in Myanmar last year, paleontologist Lida Xing discovered the first known dinosaur tail preserved in amber, and it has feathers!

The piece of amber is about the size and shape of a dried apricot and captured inside it is a 1.4-inch appendage covered in white and chestnut brown colored feathers. The tail is around 99 million years old, and scientists believe that it belonged to a juvenile coelurosaur, which is part of a group of theropod dinosaurs.

“While individual dinosaur-era feathers have been found in amber, and evidence for feathered dinosaurs is captured in fossil impressions, this is the first time that scientists are able to clearly associate well-preserved feathers with a dinosaur, and in turn gain a better understanding of the evolution and structure of dinosaur feathers,” Kristin Romey wrote on National Geographic.

More info: National Geographic (h/t)

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What do you think ?

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Pedro Hasashi 7 years ago

Why I am crying reading this? Maybe because it is TOO DAMN MF AWESOME?? (Yep, I am a Dinosaur obssesed!)

17points

Annette Nenec 7 years ago

Is anyone going to talk about that ant too?

12points

Daria B 7 years ago

I slid to the comments to see if anyone else wanted to mention that too. That ant's got pretty long legs...

5points

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Luca Plas 7 years ago

Now imagine Jurassic Park with feather-covered reptiles

10points

iblowsheep 7 years ago

yeah and why didn't they take the opportunity to correct that with the damn velociraptors in Jurassic World. Oh wait, i guess they'd have to also correct the fact that they would only be about knee-high to an adult human and it would ruin their scare factor. I guess a feathered bird, ah er. dinosaur, the size of a turkey doesn't sell. GO Hollywood!

8points

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