Fossilized skin reveals coevolution with feathers and metabolism in feathered dinosaurs and early birds
In addition to the evolutionary innovation of feathers, bird skin has complex adaptations. Here, McNamara and colleagues examine exceptionally preserved skin from feathered dinosaurs and ancient birds from the Cretaceous and show the early acquisition of many skin attributes seen in modern species.
Main Authors: | Maria E. McNamara, Fucheng Zhang, Stuart L. Kearns, Patrick J. Orr, André Toulouse, Tara Foley, David W. E. Hone, Chris S. Rogers, Michael J. Benton, Diane Johnson, Xing Xu, Zhonghe Zhou |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Nature Publishing Group
2018-05-01
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Series: | Nature Communications |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04443-x |
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