Explore: Fossil Feathers

non-avian dinosaur species also possessed feathers in some shape or form. The extent to which feathers or feather-like structures were present in dinosaurs

of feather: vaned feathers which cover the exterior of the body, and down feathers which are underneath the vaned feathers. The pennaceous feathers are

Most of these 14 fossils include impressions of feathers. Because these feathers are of an advanced form (flight feathers), these fossils are evidence that

have long, vaned arm and leg feathers forming wings. The Jurassic basal avialan Pedopenna also shows these long foot feathers. Paleontologist Lawrence Witmer

Moreover, because these feathers take the advanced form of flight feathers, Archaeopteryx fossils are evidence that feathers began to evolve before the

of feathers often involves the formation of bacterial mats, and found fossil bacteria with scanning electron microscopy upon the fossil feathers of birds

that Anchiornis had black, white and grey feathers all over its body and a crest of dark red or ochre feathers on its head. In 2015, another specimen was

The feathers covered various parts of the body. With the holotype they were present on the pelvis and near the foot. Specimen ZCDM V5000 had feathers on

later details of the fossil. Some fossils consist only of skeletal remains or teeth; other fossils contain traces of skin, feathers or even soft tissues

described the fossil as having no long feathers on its legs, but only on its hands and arms, as he illustrated on the cover of his book Feathered Dinosaurs