66-million-year-old feather found in dinosaur poop may explain bird survival
Scientists have discovered a 66-million-year-old bird feather preserved inside fossilized dinosaur feces in Montana. This rare find provides new insights into the survival of certain bird lineages during the mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs.
Why it matters
Understanding how specific avian groups survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction helps researchers map the evolutionary history of modern birds.
A 66-million-year-old feather found inside fossilised dinosaur poop may offer a clue to why some birds survived the asteroid impact that wiped out most dinosaurs. Scientists say the feather belonged to a hesperornithiform, an extinct group of aquatic birds that lived alongside dinosaurs.The feather was preserved inside a coprolite, the scientific term for fossilised faeces. Researchers found several feathers, tiny fish scales and leg bones belonging to a hesperornithiform bird inside the fossil.The discovery, reported in the journal Current Biology and reported by Science Daily, suggests that feathers may have played a role in determining which birds survived the mass extinction.
Also covering this story
One other newsroom covered this event. We read that version too.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in