Dinosaur fossil with preserved feathers, skin found

Toronto: Researchers in Canada have discovered fossilised remains of an ostrich-like dinosaur with preserved tail feathers and soft tissue, a finding that throws more light on the linkages between dinosaurs and modern birds.

The discovery is shedding light on the convergent evolution of these dinosaurs with ostriches and emus relating to thermoregulation, researchers said. This is the first report of such preserved skin forming a web from the femoral shaft to the abdomen, never before seen in non-avian dinosaurs.

Although the preserved feathers are extremely crushed due to sediment compaction, scanning electron microscopy shows a three-dimensional keratin structure to the feathers on the tail and body.

This new specimen - one of only three feathered Ornithomimus specimens in the world - is shedding light on the animal's evolutionary adaptation to different environments.

The findings may be used to further understand why animals have adapted the way they have and to predict how animals will have to adapt in the future in order to survive environmental changes, van der Reest noted.