Proof that dinosaurs shook a tail-feather: Incredible 99 million-year-old tail found trapped in a piece of amber sheds light on evolution of feathers

Specimen reveals that dinosaurs had feathered, chestnut brown tails[CN]

样本显示，恐龙有一条栗棕色的尾巴。

Tail belonged to small, flightless dinosaur that lived  99 million years ago[CN]

这条尾巴的恐龙生存在99万年前，是一种小型的不会飞翔的物种。

The rare find reveals the evolution of feathers from dinosaurs to modern birds [CN]

这次罕有的发现表明，恐龙是如何从恐龙进化成现代的鸟类的。

It was discovered at at an amber market in Myitkyina, Myanmar, last year
[CN]

这尾巴是上年在Myanmar的Myitkyinaf琥珀市场发现的。

Dinosaurs had feathered, chestnut-brown tails with a pale underside, a newly found specimen (pictured) reveals. The tail was found preserved in an ancient blob of amber tree resin[CN]

这些恐龙尾巴是栗棕色，尾巴底部是白色，如新发现的样本所示（如图）。这条尾巴就保存在古老的琥珀凝脂当中。

This image shows an artist's impression of the small species of dinosaur that the tail may have belonged to. The rare find sheds light on the evolution of feathers from dinosaurs to modern birds, which cannot be gleaned from normal fossil remains.[CN]

图为艺术家们还原这种小型恐龙的图片，这条尾巴就是它们所属。这次罕见的发现阐明了恐龙进化到鸟类的进程，而从平常的恐龙化石就看不出这一点。

The amber was discovered by lead author Dr Lida Xing from the China University of Geosciences at an amber market in Myitkyina, Myanmar, in 2015. It was initially thought to be plant remains and was destined to become a piece of jewellery until Xing rescued it[CN]

琥珀是由首席作者，来自中国地质大学的Lida Xing博士发现，2015年他在Myanmar的Myitkyina的琥珀市场发现这块宝物。一开始人们以为这只是普通的植物遗存，直至Xing博士买下之后便成了稀世珍宝。

Dinosaurs had feathered, chestnut brown tails with a pale underside, a newly found specimen reveals.[CN]

这些恐龙尾巴是栗棕色，尾巴底部是白色，如新发现的样本所示（如图）

The tip of the tail was found preserved in an ancient blob of amber tree resin.[CN]

这条尾巴就保存在古老的树木琥珀当中。

It belonged to a small, flightless dinosaur that lived in the mid-Cretaceous period around 99 million years ago.
[CN]

这条尾巴的恐龙生存在99万年前，是一种小型的不会飞翔的物种。

And the rare find sheds light on the evolution of feathers from dinosaurs to modern birds, which cannot be gleaned from normal fossil remains. 

The incredible discovery – plucked from a market in Myanmar – reveals the feathered tail of a non-avian theropod that perished approximately 99 million years ago. 

Dr Paul Barrett, from London's Natural History Museum, described it as a 'beautiful fossil'.

While the feathers aren't the first to be found in amber, earlier specimens have been difficult to definitively link to their source animal.

Dr Ryan McKellar, Curator of Invertebrate Palaeontology at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Canada, said: 'The new material preserves a tail consisting of eight vertebrae from a juvenile.

‘These are surrounded by feathers that are preserved in 3D and with microscopic detail.

'We can be sure of the source because the vertebrae are not fused into a rod or pygostyle as in modern birds and their closest relatives.

'Instead, the tail is long and flexible, with keels of feathers running down each side.'

Dr McKellar added that the feathers are definitely those of a dinosaur and not a prehistoric bird.

The amber was discovered by lead author Dr Lida Xing from the China University of Geosciences at an amber market in Myanmar in 2015.

It was initially thought to be plant remains and was destined to become a piece of jewellery until Xing rescued it.

CT scanning and microscope investigations revealed that the tail had a chestnut-brown colouring and a pale underside.

It also provided insight into feather evolution, as the specimen's feathers lack a well-developed central shaft or 'rachis'.

Their structure suggests that the two finest tiers of branching in modern feathers, known as barbs and barbules, arose before a rachis formed. 

A chemistry analysis of the tail showed the soft tissue layer around the bones retained traces of ferrous iron, a relic left over from blood-haemoglobin proteins that were also trapped in the sample.

'Amber pieces preserve tiny snapshots of ancient ecosystems, but they record microscopic details, three-dimensional arrangements, and tissues that are difficult to study in other settings,' Dr McKellar said.

'This is a new source of information that is worth researching with intensity and protecting as a fossil resource.'

He hopes future finds from the region 'will reshape our understanding of plumage and soft tissues in dinosaurs and other vertebrates.'

He concluded: 'The theropod tail reported here is an astonishing fossil, highlighting the unique preservation potential of amber.

'Importantly, in the context of bird origins, feathers and flight are key elements contributing to the success of the clade.

'With preservation in amber, the finest details of feathers are visible in three dimensions, providing concrete evidence for feather morphologies and arrangement upon the tail, as well as supporting an important role for barbs and barbules in feather evolution.'

The study was published in the journal Current Biology.