Fossil feathers in dinosaur poop could offer clues to why some birds survived mass extinction
UW News reports that a team found unusually well-preserved feathers in fossilized dinosaur dung from Montana. Leg bones in the same fossil led the researchers to infer that the feathers came from an extinct diving bird.
TLDR
UW News reports that a University of Washington-led team found feathers, fish scales and bird bones in fossilized dinosaur dung. Two feathers have features found in living birds and their immediate ancestors. The researchers think the feathers came from an extinct diving bird and hypothesize that feather types or molting patterns may help explain why some birds survived the mass extinction 66 million years ago while others did not.
Combined views
—
First seen 11h ago