Fred Ruhe
Well-known member
Ben Creisler kindly informed me about this paper:
A new paper in open access:
Ismar de Souza Carvalho, Fernando E. Novas, Federico L. Agnolín, Marcelo P. Isasi, Francisco I. Freitas & José A. Andrade, 2015
A Mesozoic bird from Gondwana preserving feathers
Nature Communications 6, Article number: 7141
doi:10.1038/ncomms8141
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/150526/ncomms8141/full/ncomms8141.html
Abstract:
The fossil record of birds in the Mesozoic of Gondwana is mostly based on isolated and often poorly preserved specimens, none of which has preserved details on feather anatomy. We provide the description of a fossil bird represented by a skeleton with feathers from the Early Cretaceous of Gondwana (NE Brazil). The specimen sheds light on the homology and 3D structure of the rachis-dominated feathers, previously known from two-dimensional slabs. The rectrices exhibit a row of rounded spots, probably corresponding to some original colour pattern.
The specimen supports the identification of the feather scapus as the rachis, which is notably robust and elliptical in cross-section. In spite of its juvenile nature, the tail plumage resembles the feathering of adult individuals of modern birds. Documentation of rachis-dominated tail in South American enantiornithines broadens the paleobiogeographic distribution of basal birds with this tail feather morphotype, up to now only reported from China.
News:
with video:
http://phys.org/news/2015-06-small-bird-big-fossil-gap.html
http://www.netnebraska.org/node/976260
**
http://www.livescience.com/51047-fossil-bird-feathers-brazil.html
Enjoy,
Fred
A new paper in open access:
Ismar de Souza Carvalho, Fernando E. Novas, Federico L. Agnolín, Marcelo P. Isasi, Francisco I. Freitas & José A. Andrade, 2015
A Mesozoic bird from Gondwana preserving feathers
Nature Communications 6, Article number: 7141
doi:10.1038/ncomms8141
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/150526/ncomms8141/full/ncomms8141.html
Abstract:
The fossil record of birds in the Mesozoic of Gondwana is mostly based on isolated and often poorly preserved specimens, none of which has preserved details on feather anatomy. We provide the description of a fossil bird represented by a skeleton with feathers from the Early Cretaceous of Gondwana (NE Brazil). The specimen sheds light on the homology and 3D structure of the rachis-dominated feathers, previously known from two-dimensional slabs. The rectrices exhibit a row of rounded spots, probably corresponding to some original colour pattern.
The specimen supports the identification of the feather scapus as the rachis, which is notably robust and elliptical in cross-section. In spite of its juvenile nature, the tail plumage resembles the feathering of adult individuals of modern birds. Documentation of rachis-dominated tail in South American enantiornithines broadens the paleobiogeographic distribution of basal birds with this tail feather morphotype, up to now only reported from China.
News:
with video:
http://phys.org/news/2015-06-small-bird-big-fossil-gap.html
http://www.netnebraska.org/node/976260
**
http://www.livescience.com/51047-fossil-bird-feathers-brazil.html
Enjoy,
Fred
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