In recent years, dinosaurs have gotten awfully cute. They’re no longer Victorian lumps of saggy muscle. A lot of them are not even frightening. They’re fuzzy, feathery little critters. But, as I’ve written before, cuteness is not what drives paleontologists to hunt for these fossils and spend years poring over them in laboratories.
Today brings another case in point. Chinese paleontologists published a report in Nature about a new fossil they’ve named Epidexipteryx hui. The fossil comes from rocks that are somewhere between 152 and 168 million years old. Much of its skeleton was preserved on a slab, along with impressions on the surface of its body that the scientists conclude were feathers. At this point, the discovery of yet another feathered dinosaur is not big news. But Epidexipteryx looks to be important for several reasons.
One is its kinship to birds. The researchers compared 363 traits on Epidexipteryx and 19 other dinosaurs and birds. Along with its feathers, Epidexipteryx has many traits that link it closely to birds, such as a humerus that’s as long as its femur. In fact, the analysis reveals this dinosaur was one of the closest relatives to Archaeopteryx and all other birds capable of flight.
Obviously, Epidexipteryx was no flier itself. It didn’t have the right feathers on its arms to give it enough lift. Nor did the many other feathered dinosaurs scientists have unearthed over the past 15 years. To understand what function feathers served before flight, paleontologists have looked to living birds. Flight feathers are just one of many different kinds found on them. Fuzzy feathers help insulate birds, and many paleontologists have proposed that insulation was one of the early adaptations of feathers on dinosaurs.
Epidexipteryx means “display wing,” and the name is apt. Its remarkable tail feathers could not have helped it fly, nor could they have kept it warm. Instead, they bear a striking resemblance to the extravagant feathers of some living species of birds, like the widowbird. Male birds use long tail feathers to attract females, possibly by advertising their good genes. The tails evolve to great lengths, even though the males have to pay a cost–either in the energy to grow them, or in the drag they create during flight.
Epidexipteryx is compelling evidence that feathers had already evolved for display before birds used them to fly. It should not be surprising that other feathered dinosaur fossils discovered so far don’t show signs of long tail feathers. Only a small number of living bird species have evolved to widowbird-like extremes, for reasons scientists don’t yet understand. Sexual selection must have been at work in Jurassic dinosaurs, just as it is at work in their living cousins, the birds. And just as birds have evolved many different ways to show off–from rooster combs to red patches on red-winged blackbirds–it makes sense that dinosaurs evolved their own courtships too.
Source: Zhang et al, A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran from China with elongate ribbon-like feathers, Nature 23 October 2008 doi:10.1038/nature07447
Go Further
Animals
- These 'trash fish' are among Earth's most primitive animalsThese 'trash fish' are among Earth's most primitive animals
- These photos are works of art—and the artists are bugsThese photos are works of art—and the artists are bugs
- The epic migration of a 6-foot long, 200-pound catfishThe epic migration of a 6-foot long, 200-pound catfish
- Frans de Waal, biologist who studied animal emotion, dies at 75Frans de Waal, biologist who studied animal emotion, dies at 75
Environment
- Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet? The answer isn't clear-cut.Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet? The answer isn't clear-cut.
- This year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning signThis year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning sign
- The U.S. just announced an asbestos ban. What took so long?The U.S. just announced an asbestos ban. What took so long?
- The most dangerous job? Inside the world of underwater weldersThe most dangerous job? Inside the world of underwater welders
- The harrowing flight that wild whooping cranes make to surviveThe harrowing flight that wild whooping cranes make to survive
History & Culture
- Meet the powerful yokai that inspired the demon king in ‘Demon Slayer’Meet the powerful yokai that inspired the demon king in ‘Demon Slayer’
- A surprising must-wear for European monarchs? Weasels.A surprising must-wear for European monarchs? Weasels.
- Meet the woman who made Polaroid into a cultural iconMeet the woman who made Polaroid into a cultural icon
- Inside the observatory that birthed modern astrophysicsInside the observatory that birthed modern astrophysics
Science
- LED light treatments for skin are trendy—but do they actually work?LED light treatments for skin are trendy—but do they actually work?
- NASA smashed an asteroid. The debris could hit Mars.NASA smashed an asteroid. The debris could hit Mars.
- Humans really can have superpowers—scientists are studying themHumans really can have superpowers—scientists are studying them
- Why engineers are concerned about aging infrastructureWhy engineers are concerned about aging infrastructure
Travel
- 2024 will be huge for astrotourism—here’s how to plan your trip2024 will be huge for astrotourism—here’s how to plan your trip
- Play and stay in the mountains of eastern Nevada
- Paid Content
Play and stay in the mountains of eastern Nevada - This couple quit the city to grow wasabi in Japan's mountainsThis couple quit the city to grow wasabi in Japan's mountains