Dinosaur feathers may have been more similar to bird feathers than previously thought

Recent research has revealed that the feathers of dinosaurs and birds were similar.

Dinosaurs became extinct 66 million years ago. Whether it was due to a meteorite impact or volcanic activity, the only fact is that they are gone forever. After centuries of study, there are still many unknowns that need to be answered about these animals. Now investigation has revealed that feathers were covering their bodies They were very similar to those found in modern birds.

If you didn’t know that dinosaurs had feathers, you might be surprised to learn that they did.. The most dangerous and famous animals of the Mesozoic had feathers like the birds we see today in our gardens. This is a recent thing, as not long ago it was thought that its skin would be rough and wrinkled like that of common reptiles. It is now known that this species had feathers.

Dinosaurs and birds are increasingly related

But what kind of feathers? Well, this is where new research based on recent findings comes in. These show that dinosaurs had feathers, yes, but their composition was very similar to the feathers that modern birds have. That is, it consists of a base of keratin proteins.

Before these in-depth analyses, researchers believed that the feathers of dinosaurs and birds were not the same. Although they were related to each other, each of them had clear differences. With the results of the past decade, it became clear that this is not the case and that the interpretations were wrong. It can now be confirmed that the two animals shared the same type of feathers.

The possible look and feel of Caihong Juji, a small theropod that lived in China 160 million years ago. Source: The Field Museum.

As mentioned Science News In an expanded essay, the new perspective changes things that were known until now. Although feathers are only one piece of the puzzle of how flight evolved, this brings the situation closer to the transition from dinosaurs to birds. They are the closest grandchildren Even more so than the reptiles of the “Syrian” family. Such as lizards and crocodiles.

At the end of the Cretaceous period, dinosaurs ended up flying in small species that had primitive flight. at that moment, Birds have been flying in the sky for millions of years.but there are still many pieces to fit into this puzzle of enormous proportions.

In conclusion, We can say that:

• Dinosaurs They had feathers Just like modern birds.
• Feathers of both animals They were similar in structure And composition.
• stayed Lots to discover How did dinosaurs turn into birds?