1
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Akat E, Yenmiş M, Pombal MA, Molist P, Megías M, Arman S, Veselỳ M, Anderson R, Ayaz D. Comparison of Vertebrate Skin Structure at Class Level: A Review. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2022; 305:3543-3608. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.24908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Esra Akat
- Ege University, Faculty of Science, Biology Department Bornova, İzmir Turkey
| | - Melodi Yenmiş
- Ege University, Faculty of Science, Biology Department Bornova, İzmir Turkey
| | - Manuel A. Pombal
- Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Bioloxía Funcional e Ciencias da Saúde, Facultade de Bioloxía‐IBIV Vigo, España
| | - Pilar Molist
- Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Bioloxía Funcional e Ciencias da Saúde, Facultade de Bioloxía‐IBIV Vigo, España
| | - Manuel Megías
- Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Bioloxía Funcional e Ciencias da Saúde, Facultade de Bioloxía‐IBIV Vigo, España
| | - Sezgi Arman
- Sakarya University, Faculty of Science and Letters, Biology Department Sakarya Turkey
| | - Milan Veselỳ
- Palacky University, Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology Olomouc Czechia
| | - Rodolfo Anderson
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista São Paulo Brazil
| | - Dinçer Ayaz
- Ege University, Faculty of Science, Biology Department Bornova, İzmir Turkey
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2
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Hendrickx C, Bell PR, Pittman M, Milner ARC, Cuesta E, O'Connor J, Loewen M, Currie PJ, Mateus O, Kaye TG, Delcourt R. Morphology and distribution of scales, dermal ossifications, and other non-feather integumentary structures in non-avialan theropod dinosaurs. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:960-1004. [PMID: 34991180 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Modern birds are typified by the presence of feathers, complex evolutionary innovations that were already widespread in the group of theropod dinosaurs (Maniraptoriformes) that include crown Aves. Squamous or scaly reptilian-like skin is, however, considered the plesiomorphic condition for theropods and dinosaurs more broadly. Here, we review the morphology and distribution of non-feathered integumentary structures in non-avialan theropods, covering squamous skin and naked skin as well as dermal ossifications. The integumentary record of non-averostran theropods is limited to tracks, which ubiquitously show a covering of tiny reticulate scales on the plantar surface of the pes. This is consistent also with younger averostran body fossils, which confirm an arthral arrangement of the digital pads. Among averostrans, squamous skin is confirmed in Ceratosauria (Carnotaurus), Allosauroidea (Allosaurus, Concavenator, Lourinhanosaurus), Compsognathidae (Juravenator), and Tyrannosauroidea (Santanaraptor, Albertosaurus, Daspletosaurus, Gorgosaurus, Tarbosaurus, Tyrannosaurus), whereas dermal ossifications consisting of sagittate and mosaic osteoderms are restricted to Ceratosaurus. Naked, non-scale bearing skin is found in the contentious tetanuran Sciurumimus, ornithomimosaurians (Ornithomimus) and possibly tyrannosauroids (Santanaraptor), and also on the patagia of scansoriopterygids (Ambopteryx, Yi). Scales are surprisingly conservative among non-avialan theropods compared to some dinosaurian groups (e.g. hadrosaurids); however, the limited preservation of tegument on most specimens hinders further interrogation. Scale patterns vary among and/or within body regions in Carnotaurus, Concavenator and Juravenator, and include polarised, snake-like ventral scales on the tail of the latter two genera. Unusual but more uniformly distributed patterning also occurs in Tyrannosaurus, whereas feature scales are present only in Albertosaurus and Carnotaurus. Few theropods currently show compelling evidence for the co-occurrence of scales and feathers (e.g. Juravenator, Sinornithosaurus), although reticulate scales were probably retained on the mani and pedes of many theropods with a heavy plumage. Feathers and filamentous structures appear to have replaced widespread scaly integuments in maniraptorans. Theropod skin, and that of dinosaurs more broadly, remains a virtually untapped area of study and the appropriation of commonly used techniques in other palaeontological fields to the study of skin holds great promise for future insights into the biology, taphonomy and relationships of these extinct animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Hendrickx
- Unidad Ejecutora Lillo, CONICET-Fundación Miguel Lillo, 251 Miguel Lillo, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, 4000, Argentina
| | - Phil R Bell
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
| | - Michael Pittman
- Vertebrate Palaeontology Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR, China.,Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew R C Milner
- St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm, 2180 East Riverside Drive, St. George, UT, U.S.A
| | - Elena Cuesta
- Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, Munich, 80333, Germany
| | - Jingmai O'Connor
- Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605, U.S.A
| | - Mark Loewen
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Frederick Albert Sutton Building, 115 South 1460 East, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, U.S.A.,Natural History Museum of Utah, 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, U.S.A
| | - Philip J Currie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Octávio Mateus
- GeoBioTec, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal.,Museu da Lourinhã, 95 Rua João Luis de Moura, Lourinhã, 2530-158, Portugal
| | - Thomas G Kaye
- Foundation for Scientific Advancement, 7023 Alhambra Dr., Sierra Vista, AZ, 85650, U.S.A
| | - Rafael Delcourt
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Instituto de Geociências, Cidade Universitária, Rua Carlos Gomes, 250, Campinas, SP, 13083-855, Brazil
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3
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Barlow LA, Pittman M, Butcher A, Martill DM, Kaye TG. Laser-stimulated fluorescence reveals unseen details in fossils from the Upper Jurassic Solnhofen Limestones. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:211601. [PMID: 34950496 PMCID: PMC8692964 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Laser-stimulated fluorescence (LSF) has seen increased use in palaeontological investigations in recent years. The method uses the high flux of laser light of visible wavelengths to reveal details sometimes missed by traditional long-wave ultraviolet (UV) methods using a lamp. In this study, we compare the results of LSF with UV-A-generated fluorescence on a range of fossils from the Upper Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone Konservat-Lagerstätte of Bavaria, Germany. The methodology follows previous protocols of LSF with modifications made to enhance laser beam intensity, namely keeping the laser at a constant distance from the specimen, using a camera track. Our experiments show that along with making surface details more vivid than UV-A or revealing them for the first time, LSF has the additional value of revealing shallow subsurface specimen detail. Fossil decapods from the Solnhofen Limestone reveal full body outlines, even under the matrix, along with details of segmentation within the appendages such as limbs and antennae. The results indicate that LSF can be used on invertebrate fossils along with vertebrates and may often surpass the information provided by traditional UV methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke A. Barlow
- Vertebrate Palaeontology Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
- School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, University of Portsmouth, Burnaby Building, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Michael Pittman
- Vertebrate Palaeontology Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Anthony Butcher
- School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, University of Portsmouth, Burnaby Building, Portsmouth, UK
| | - David M. Martill
- School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, University of Portsmouth, Burnaby Building, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Thomas G. Kaye
- Foundation for Scientific Advancement, Sierra Vista, AZ 85650, USA
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4
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Archaeopteryx feather sheaths reveal sequential center-out flight-related molting strategy. Commun Biol 2020; 3:745. [PMID: 33293660 PMCID: PMC7722847 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01467-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern flying birds molt to replace old and worn feathers that inhibit flight performance, but its origins are unclear. We address this by presenting and evaluating a ~150 million year old record of molting in a feathered dinosaur from the early bird Archaeopteryx. Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence revealed feather sheaths that are otherwise invisible under white light. These are separated by one feather and are not in numerical sequential order and are mirrored in both wings. This indicates that a sequential center-out molting strategy was already present at the origins of flight, which is used in living falcons to preserve maximum flight performance. This strategy would have been a welcome advantage for early theropod flyers that had poor flight capabilities. This discovery provides important insights into how birds refined their early flight capabilities before the appearance of the keeled sternum, pygostyle and triosseal canal. Thomas Kaye et al. use Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence and fossil evidence from the oldest known bird, Archaeopteryx, to document the oldest record of molting, demonstrating that a sophisticated molting strategy developed unexpectedly early on in the evolution of avian flight. This discovery provides important insights into the flight capabilities of the earliest birds and predates other major flight adaptations.
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5
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Chiarenza AA, Fiorillo AR, Tykoski RS, McCarthy PJ, Flaig PP, Contreras DL. The first juvenile dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from Arctic Alaska. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0235078. [PMID: 32639990 PMCID: PMC7343144 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Compared to the osteological record of herbivorous dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous Prince Creek Formation of northern Alaska, there are relatively fewer remains of theropods. The theropod record from this unit is mostly comprised of isolated teeth, and the only non-dental remains known can be attributed to the troodontid cf. Troodon and the tyrannosaurid Nanuqsaurus. Thus far, the presence of members of Dromaeosauridae has been limited to isolated teeth. Here we describe a symphyseal portion of a small dentary with two ziphodont teeth. Based on tooth shape, denticle morphology, and the position of the Meckelian groove, we attribute this partial dentary to a saurornitholestine dromaeosaurid. The fibrous bone surface, small size, and higher number of mesial denticles compared to distal ones point to a juvenile growth stage for this individual. Multivariate comparison of theropod teeth morphospace by means of principal component analysis reveals an overlap between this dentary and Saurornitholestinae dromaeosaurid morphospace, a result supported by phylogenetic analyses. This is the first confirmed non-dental fossil specimen from a member of Dromaeosauridae in the Arctic, expanding on the role of Beringia as a dispersal route for this clade between Asia and North America. Furthermore, the juvenile nature of this individual adds to a growing body of data that suggests Cretaceous Arctic dinosaurs of Alaska did not undergo long-distance migration, but rather they were year-round residents of these paleopolar latitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza
- Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- University College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Anthony R. Fiorillo
- Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, United States of America
| | - Ronald S. Tykoski
- Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas, TX, United States of America
| | - Paul J. McCarthy
- Department of Geosciences, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, United States of America
| | - Peter P. Flaig
- Jackson School of Geosciences, Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
| | - Dori L. Contreras
- Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas, TX, United States of America
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6
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Filamentous Integuments in Nonavialan Theropods and Their Kin: Advances and Future Perspectives for Understanding the Evolution of Feathers. THE EVOLUTION OF FEATHERS 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-27223-4_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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7
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A new alvarezsaurian theropod from the Upper Jurassic Shishugou Formation of western China. Sci Rep 2019; 9:11727. [PMID: 31409823 PMCID: PMC6692367 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48148-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Alvarezsaurian dinosaurs, a group of bizarre theropods with greatly shortened and modified forelimbs, are known mostly from the Cretaceous of Asia and South America. Here we report a new alvarezsaurian, Shishugounykus inexpectus gen. et sp. nov, based on a specimen recovered from the Middle–Upper Jurassic Shishugou Formation of the Junggar Basin, western China. Together with two other alvarezsaurians from this formation, i.e., Haplocheirus sollers and Aorun zhaoi, these Shishugou forms represent the only known Jurassic alvarezsaurians worldwide. Similar to the two other Shishugou alvarezsaurians, this new alvarezsaurian displays early stages in the development of the highly modified alvarezsaurian forelimb, but it possesses a number of manual features closer to the typical coelurosaurian theropod condition. Combining morphological and histological features, our analysis indicates that the earliest known alvarezsaurians are variable in size and other important morphological features, and in particular display a mosaic distribution of forelimb features.
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8
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Detection of lost calamus challenges identity of isolated Archaeopteryx feather. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1182. [PMID: 30718905 PMCID: PMC6362147 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37343-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In 1862, a fossil feather from the Solnhofen quarries was described as the holotype of the iconic Archaeopteryx lithographica. The isolated feather’s identification has been problematic, and the fossil was considered either a primary, secondary or, most recently, a primary covert. The specimen is surrounded by the ‘mystery of the missing quill’. The calamus described in the original paper is unseen today, even under x-ray fluorescence and UV imaging, challenging its original existence. We answer this question using Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence (LSF) through the recovery of the geochemical halo from the original calamus matching the published description. Our study therefore shows that new techniques applied to well-studied iconic fossils can still provide valuable insights. The morphology of the complete feather excludes it as a primary, secondary or tail feather of Archaeopteryx. However, it could be a covert or a contour feather, especially since the latter are not well known in Archaeopteryx. The possibility remains that it stems from a different feathered dinosaur that lived in the Solnhofen Archipelago. The most recent analysis of the isolated feather considers it to be a primary covert. If this is the case, it lacks a distinct s-shaped centerline found in modern primary coverts that appears to be documented here for the first time.
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9
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Maganuco S, Dal Sasso C. The smallest biggest theropod dinosaur: a tiny pedal ungual of a juvenile Spinosaurus from the Cretaceous of Morocco. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4785. [PMID: 29868253 PMCID: PMC5984586 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe a nearly complete pedal ungual phalanx, discovered in the Kem Kem Beds (Cenomanian) of Tafilalt region, south-eastern Morocco. The bone is symmetric, pointed, low, elongate, and almost flat ventrally in lateral aspect. This peculiar morphology allows to refer the specimen to the smallest known individual of the genus Spinosaurus. The bone belongs to an early juvenile individual and it is proportionally identical to the ungual of the third digit of a large partial skeleton recently found, suggesting an isometric growth for this part of the pes and the retention of peculiar locomotor adaptations—such as traversing soft substrates or paddling—during the entire lifespan.
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10
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Rauhut OWM, Foth C, Tischlinger H. The oldest Archaeopteryx (Theropoda: Avialiae): a new specimen from the Kimmeridgian/Tithonian boundary of Schamhaupten, Bavaria. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4191. [PMID: 29383285 PMCID: PMC5788062 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The iconic primeval bird Archaeopteryx was so far mainly known from the Altmühltal Formation (early Tithonian) of Bavaria, southern Germany, with one specimen having been found in the overlying Mörnsheim Formation. A new specimen (the 12th skeletal specimen) from the earliest Tithonian Painten Formation of Schamhaupten (Bavaria) represents the so far oldest representative of the genus. The new specimen shows several interesting anatomical details, including the presence of a postorbital in contact with the jugal, the presence of a separate prefrontal and coronoid, and opisthocoelous mid-cervical vertebrae. Based on observations on the new specimen, we discuss several problematic issues concerning Archaeopteryx, including the monophyly and diagnosis of the genus, the absence/presence of the sternum, the position of the gastralia, and variation in morphometrics and dental morphology in that genus. Based on a new diagnosis for the genus Archaeopteryx, the Berlin, Eichstätt, Solnhofen, Munich, Daiting, Thermopolis, 11th, and 12th specimens can be referred to this genus with high certainty. The Maxberg specimen is very probably also an Archaeopteryx, based on overall similarity, although none of the diagnostic characters can be evaluated with certainty. The ninth specimen (‘chicken wing’) might be Archaeopteryx, but cannot be referred to the genus with any certainty. In comparison with other paravians, the presence of distally thickened anterior pectoral ribs indicates that a rather large cartilagenous sternum was present in this taxon. In contrast to non-opisthopubic theropods, opisthopubic taxa, such as Archaeopteryx and many other paravians, have the posterior end of the gastral basket preserved at about half-length of the pubis, which might reflect the post-mortem collapse of enlarged abdominal air sacs in these taxa. Specimens that can be referred to Archaeopteryx show a high amount of variation, both in the morphometrics of the limb bones as well as in the dentition. In respect to the latter aspect, variation is found in tooth number, spacing, orientation, and morphology, with no two specimens showing the exact same pattern. The significance of this variation is unclear, and possible explanations reach from high intraspecific (and possibly ontogenetic and/or sexual dimorphic) variation to the possibility that the known specimens represent a ‘species flock’ of Archaeopteryx, possibly due to island speciation after the initial dispersal of the genus into the Solnhofen Archipelago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver W M Rauhut
- SNSB-Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Munich, Germany.,Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.,GeoBioCenter, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Foth
- Department of Geosciences, Université de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.,Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Stuttgart, Germany
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11
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Dhouailly D, Godefroit P, Martin T, Nonchev S, Caraguel F, Oftedal O. Getting to the root of scales, feather and hair: As deep as odontodes? Exp Dermatol 2017; 28:503-508. [DOI: 10.1111/exd.13391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Dhouailly
- Department of Biology and ChemistryUniversité Grenoble‐Alpes La Tronche France
| | - Pascal Godefroit
- Directorate “Earth and History of Life” Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Bruxelles Belgium
| | - Thomas Martin
- Steinmann‐Institut für GeologieMineralogie und PaläontologieUniversität Bonn Bonn Germany
| | - Stefan Nonchev
- INSERM, U823Institute for Advanced BiosciencesUniversité Grenoble‐Alpes Rhône‐Alpes France
| | - Flavien Caraguel
- Department of Biology and ChemistryUniversité Grenoble‐Alpes La Tronche France
| | - Olav Oftedal
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Edgewater MD USA
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12
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Prado GMEM, Anelli LE, Petri S, Romero GR. New occurrences of fossilized feathers: systematics and taphonomy of the Santana Formation of the Araripe Basin (Cretaceous), NE, Brazil. PeerJ 2016; 4:e1916. [PMID: 27441102 PMCID: PMC4941790 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 03/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we describe three fossil feathers from the Early Cretaceous Santana Formation of the Araripe Basin, Brazil. Feathers are the most complex multiform vertebrate integuments; they perform different functions, occurring in both avian and non-avian dinosaurs. Despite their rarity, fossil feathers have been found across the world. Most of the Brazilian feather fossil record comes from the Santana Formation. This formation is composed of two members: Crato (lake) and Romualdo (lagoon); both of which are predominantly reduced deposits, precluding bottom dwelling organisms, resulting in exceptional preservation of the fossils. Despite arid and hot conditions during the Cretaceous, life teemed in the adjacency of this paleolake. Feathered non-avian dinosaurs have not yet been described from the Crato Member, even though there are suggestions of their presence in nearby basins. Our description of the three feathers from the Crato laminated limestone reveals that, despite the small sample size, they can be referred to coelurosaurian theropods. Moreover, based on comparisons with extant feather morphotypes they can be identified as one contour feather and two downy feathers. Despite their rareness and low taxonomic potential, fossilized feathers can offer insights about the paleobiology of its owners and the paleoecology of the Araripe Basin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo M E M Prado
- Departamento de Geologia Sedimentar e Ambiental, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Gequímica e Geotectônica, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Luiz Eduardo Anelli
- Departamento de Geologia Sedimentar e Ambiental, Universidade de São Paulo , São Paulo , Brasil
| | - Setembrino Petri
- Departamento de Geologia Sedimentar e Ambiental, Universidade de São Paulo , São Paulo , Brasil
| | - Guilherme Raffaeli Romero
- Departamento de Geologia Sedimentar e Ambiental, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Gequímica e Geotectônica, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
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13
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Gerke O, Wings O. Multivariate and Cladistic Analyses of Isolated Teeth Reveal Sympatry of Theropod Dinosaurs in the Late Jurassic of Northern Germany. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0158334. [PMID: 27383054 PMCID: PMC4934775 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Remains of theropod dinosaurs are very rare in Northern Germany because the area was repeatedly submerged by a shallow epicontinental sea during the Mesozoic. Here, 80 Late Jurassic theropod teeth are described of which the majority were collected over decades from marine carbonates in nowadays abandoned and backfilled quarries of the 19th century. Eighteen different morphotypes (A-R) could be distinguished and 3D models based on micro-CT scans of the best examples of all morphotypes are included as supplements. The teeth were identified with the assistance of discriminant function analysis and cladistic analysis based on updated datamatrices. The results show that a large variety of theropod groups were present in the Late Jurassic of northern Germany. Identified specimens comprise basal Tyrannosauroidea, as well as Allosauroidea, Megalosauroidea cf. Marshosaurus, Megalosauridae cf. Torvosaurus and probably Ceratosauria. The formerly reported presence of Dromaeosauridae in the Late Jurassic of northern Germany could not be confirmed. Some teeth of this study resemble specimens described as pertaining to Carcharodontosauria (morphotype A) and Abelisauridae (morphotype K). This interpretation is however, not supported by discriminant function analysis and cladistic analysis. Two smaller morphotypes (N and Q) differ only in some probably size-related characteristics from larger morphotypes (B and C) and could well represent juveniles of adult specimens. The similarity of the northern German theropods with groups from contemporaneous localities suggests faunal exchange via land-connections in the Late Jurassic between Germany, Portugal and North America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Gerke
- Department of Natural History, Landesmuseum Hannover, Willy-Brandt-Allee 5, Hanover, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Oliver Wings
- Department of Natural History, Landesmuseum Hannover, Willy-Brandt-Allee 5, Hanover, Germany
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14
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Xu X, Zhou Z, Dudley R, Mackem S, Chuong CM, Erickson GM, Varricchio DJ. An integrative approach to understanding bird origins. Science 2014; 346:1253293. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1253293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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15
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Hedrick BP, Manning PL, Lynch ER, Cordero SA, Dodson P. The geometry of taking flight: limb morphometrics in Mesozoic theropods. J Morphol 2014; 276:152-66. [PMID: 25284728 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2014] [Revised: 09/08/2014] [Accepted: 09/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Theropoda was one of the most successful dinosaurian clades during the Mesozoic and has remained a dominant component of faunas throughout the Cenozoic, with nearly 10,000 extant representatives. The discovery of Archaeopteryx provides evidence that avian theropods evolved at least 155 million years ago and that more than half of the tenure of avian theropods on Earth was during the Mesozoic. Considering the major changes in niche occupation for theropods resulting from the evolution of arboreal and flight capabilities, we have analyzed forelimb and hindlimb proportions among nonmaniraptoriform theropods, nonavian maniraptoriforms, and basal avialans using reduced major axis regressions, principal components analysis, canonical variates analysis, and discriminant function analysis. Our study is the first analysis on theropod limb proportions to apply phylogenetic independent contrasts and size corrections to the data to ensure that all the data are statistically independent and amenable to statistical analyses. The three ordination analyses we performed did not show any significant groupings or deviations between nonavian theropods and Mesozoic avian forms when including all limb elements. However, the bivariate regression analyses did show some significant trends between individual elements that suggested evolutionary trends of increased forelimb length relative to hindlimb length from nonmaniraptoriform theropods to nonavian maniraptoriforms to basal avialans. The increase in disparity and divergence away from the nonavian theropod body plan is well documented within Cenozoic forms. The lack of significant groupings among Mesozoic forms when examining the entire theropod body plan concurrently suggests that nonavian theropods and avian theropods did not substantially diverge in limb proportions until the Cenozoic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon P Hedrick
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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SALES MARCOSA, CASCON PAULO, SCHULTZ CESARL. Note on the paleobiogeography of Compsognathidae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) and its paleoecological implications. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2014; 86:127-34. [DOI: 10.1590/0001-37652013100412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2012] [Accepted: 06/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The paleobiogeography of the theropod clade Compsognathidae is here reaccessed in order to test the hypothesis of this taxon being adapted specifically to inhabit semi-arid environments. Data about localities where these fossils were collected and their paleoenvironments were gathered from the literature. Compsognathids seem to be found especially in sedimentary deposits known as Fossil Lagerstätten, which were formed under a set of specific conditions that allowed the preservation of the fragile bone remains of these animals. This bias limits an accurate analysis of the historical and/or ecological paleobiogeography of this taxon. Actually, it is possible that compsognathids had an almost worldwide distribution during the Mesozoic Era. Their occurrence in Lower Cretaceous rocks of China suggests that they also inhabited environments with moist conditions instead of being restricted to semi-arid to arid environments.
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Zelenitsky DK, Therrien F, Erickson GM, DeBuhr CL, Kobayashi Y, Eberth DA, Hadfield F. Feathered Non-Avian Dinosaurs from North America Provide Insight into Wing Origins. Science 2012; 338:510-4. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1225376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Darla K. Zelenitsky
- Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - François Therrien
- Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Drumheller, Alberta TOJ OYO, Canada
| | - Gregory M. Erickson
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306–4295, USA
| | | | - Yoshitsugu Kobayashi
- Hokkaido University Museum, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060 0810, Japan
| | - David A. Eberth
- Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Drumheller, Alberta TOJ OYO, Canada
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Turner AH, Makovicky PJ, Norell MA. A Review of Dromaeosaurid Systematics and Paravian Phylogeny. BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2012. [DOI: 10.1206/748.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 207] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Exceptionally preserved juvenile megalosauroid theropod dinosaur with filamentous integument from the Late Jurassic of Germany. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:11746-51. [PMID: 22753486 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1203238109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent discoveries in Asia have greatly increased our understanding of the evolution of dinosaurs' integumentary structures, revealing a previously unexpected diversity of "protofeathers" and feathers. However, all theropod dinosaurs with preserved feathers reported so far are coelurosaurs. Evidence for filaments or feathers in noncoelurosaurian theropods is circumstantial and debated. Here we report an exceptionally preserved skeleton of a juvenile megalosauroid, Sciurumimus albersdoerferi n. gen., n. sp., from the Late Jurassic of Germany, which preserves a filamentous plumage at the tail base and on parts of the body. These structures are identical to the type 1 feathers that have been reported in some ornithischians, the basal tyrannosaur Dilong, the basal therizinosauroid Beipiaosaurus, and, probably, in the basal coelurosaur Sinosauropteryx. Sciurumimus albersdoerferi represents the phylogenetically most basal theropod that preserves direct evidence for feathers and helps close the gap between feathers reported in coelurosaurian theropods and filaments in ornithischian dinosaurs, further supporting the homology of these structures. The specimen of Sciurumimus is the most complete megalosauroid yet discovered and helps clarify significant anatomical details of this important basal theropod clade, such as the complete absence of the fourth digit of the manus. The dentition of this probably early-posthatchling individual is markedly similar to that of basal coelurosaurian theropods, indicating that coelurosaur occurrences based on isolated teeth should be used with caution.
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Brusatte SL, Carr TD, Norell MA. The Osteology of Alioramus, A Gracile and Long-Snouted Tyrannosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2012. [DOI: 10.1206/770.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Brusatte SL, Benson RBJ, Norell MA. The Anatomy ofDryptosaurus aquilunguis(Dinosauria: Theropoda) and a Review of Its Tyrannosauroid Affinities. AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES 2011. [DOI: 10.1206/3717.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Xu X, Ma Q, Hu D. Pre-Archaeopteryx coelurosaurian dinosaurs and their implications for understanding avian origins. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s11434-010-4150-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Senter P. Using creation science to demonstrate evolution: application of a creationist method for visualizing gaps in the fossil record to a phylogenetic study of coelurosaurian dinosaurs. J Evol Biol 2010; 23:1732-43. [PMID: 20561133 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02039.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
It is important to demonstrate evolutionary principles in such a way that they cannot be countered by creation science. One such way is to use creation science itself to demonstrate evolutionary principles. Some creation scientists use classic multidimensional scaling (CMDS) to quantify and visualize morphological gaps or continuity between taxa, accepting gaps as evidence of independent creation and accepting continuity as evidence of genetic relatedness. Here, I apply CMDS to a phylogenetic analysis of coelurosaurian dinosaurs and show that it reveals morphological continuity between Archaeopteryx, other early birds, and a wide range of nonavian coelurosaurs. Creation scientists who use CMDS must therefore accept that these animals are genetically related. Other uses of CMDS for evolutionary biologists include the identification of taxa with much missing evolutionary history and the tracing of the progressive filling of morphological gaps in the fossil record through successive years of discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Senter
- Department of Natural Sciences, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC 28301, USA.
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Abstract
In zoology it is well known that birds are characterized by the presence of feathers, and mammals by hairs. Another common point of view is that avian scales are directly related to reptilian scales. As a skin embryologist, I have been fascinated by the problem of regionalization of skin appendages in amniotes throughout my scientific life. Here I have collected the arguments that result from classical experimental embryology, from the modern molecular biology era, and from the recent discovery of new fossils. These arguments shape my view that avian ectoderm is primarily programmed toward forming feathers, and mammalian ectoderm toward forming hairs. The other ectoderm derivatives - scales in birds, glands in mammals, or cornea in both classes - can become feathers or hairs through metaplastic process, and appear to have a negative regulatory mechanism over this basic program. How this program is altered remains, in most part, to be determined. However, it is clear that the regulation of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway is a critical hub. The level of beta-catenin is crucial for feather and hair formation, as its down-regulation appears to be linked with the formation of avian scales in chick, and cutaneous glands in mice. Furthermore, its inhibition leads to the formation of nude skin and is required for that of corneal epithelium. Here I propose a new theory, to be further considered and tested when we have new information from genomic studies. With this theory, I suggest that the alpha-keratinized hairs from living synapsids may have evolved from the hypothetical glandular integument of the first amniotes, which may have presented similarities with common day terrestrial amphibians. Concerning feathers, they may have evolved independently of squamate scales, each originating from the hypothetical roughened beta-keratinized integument of the first sauropsids. The avian overlapping scales, which cover the feet in some bird species, may have developed later in evolution, being secondarily derived from feathers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Dhouailly
- Equipe Ontogenèse et Cellules Souches du Tégument, Centre de Recherche INSERM UJF - U, Institut Albert Bonniot, Site Santé- La Tronche, Grenoble, France.
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Lingham-Soliar T, Plodowski G. The integument of Psittacosaurus from Liaoning Province, China: taphonomy, epidermal patterns and color of a ceratopsian dinosaur. Naturwissenschaften 2010; 97:479-86. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-010-0661-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2008] [Revised: 02/19/2010] [Accepted: 02/25/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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BRUSATTE STEPHENL, BENSON ROGERBJ, CURRIE PHILIPJ, XIJIN ZHAO. The skull of Monolophosaurus jiangi (Dinosauria: Theropoda) and its implications for early theropod phylogeny and evolution. Zool J Linn Soc 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00563.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Feduccia A. A colorful mesozoic menagerie. Trends Ecol Evol 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2009.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Lingham-Soliar T. A unique cross section through the skin of the dinosaur Psittacosaurus from China showing a complex fibre architecture. Proc Biol Sci 2008; 275:775-80. [PMID: 18182372 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2007.1342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper reports on a unique preservation of soft tissues in the ventrolateral region of the plant-eating dinosaur Psittacosaurus from the Jehol biota of China. The preservation is of a deep cross section through the dermis, which includes multiple layers of collagenous fibres in excess of 25, among the highest recorded in vertebrates, with a further 15 more layers (poorly preserved) estimated for the entire height of the section. Also, for the first time in a dinosaur two fibre layers parallel to the skin surface are preserved deep within the dermis at the base of the cross section. These fibre layers comprise regularly disposed fibres arranged in left- and right-handed geodesic helices, matching the pattern at the surface and reasonably inferred for the entire section. As noted from the studies on modern-day animals, this fibre structure plays a critical part in the stresses and strains the skin may be subjected to and is ideally suited to providing support and protection. Psittacosaurus gives a remarkable, unprecedented understanding of the dinosaur skin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theagarten Lingham-Soliar
- School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, Republic of South Africa.
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Lingham-Soliar T, Feduccia A, Wang X. A new Chinese specimen indicates that 'protofeathers' in the Early Cretaceous theropod dinosaur Sinosauropteryx are degraded collagen fibres. Proc Biol Sci 2007; 274:1823-9. [PMID: 17521978 PMCID: PMC2270928 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Alleged primitive feathers or protofeathers in the theropod dinosaur Sinosauropteryx have potentially profound implications concerning feather morphogenesis, evolution offlight, dinosaur physiology and perhaps even the origin of birds, yet their existence has never been adequately documented. We report on a new specimen of Sinosauropteryx which shows that the integumental structures proposed as protofeathers are the remains of structural fibres that provide toughness. The preservation in the proximal tail area reveals an architecture of closely associated bands offibres parallel to the tail's long axis, which originate from the skin. In adjacent more exposed areas, the fibres are short, fragmented and disorganized. Fibres preserved dorsal to the neck and back and in the distal part of the tail are the remains of a stiffening system of a frill, peripheral to the body and extending from the head to the tip of the tail. These findings are confirmed in the holotype Sinosauropteryx and NIGP 127587. The fibres show a striking similarity to the structure and levels of organization of dermal collagen. The proposal that these fibres are protofeathers is dismissed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theagarten Lingham-Soliar
- Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, Republic of South Africa.
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