It was previously theorized that prehistoric dinosaurs that roamed the planet had bodies covered in scales similar to modern-day lizards. In recent decades, this popular belief was abandoned, as experts found that many of them actually had feathers instead of the reptilian skin texture.
Today, most dinosaurs are established as feathered animals. Some of them were even proven to have feathers through the presence of their modern-day descendants including many bird species.
But compared to the majority of these prehistoric beasts, the problem is still unsolved in the flying dinosaurs, particularly the pterosaurs. The texture of their bodies is puzzling due to the distinct records that were gathered in many parts of the globe. Groups are divided to whether these species were bald, feathered, or scaled.
Do Pterosaurs Have Feathers? Tupandactylus Imperator Holds the Answer
In a new study, scientists attempted to end the mystery surrounding the pterosaurs by examining substantial clues from the past. The latest research on feathered avian dinosaurs was provided with undeniable pieces of evidence unearthed in the northeastern regions of Brazil, ScienceAlert reports.
The hint came from a dinosaur fossil known as Tupandactylus imperator, a large pterosaur species that existed approximately 113 million ago. Based on the findings, the pterosaur remains were preserved with distinctive feathers still embedded in the limestone where it was buried.
University College Cork's biological, earth, and environmental specialist Aude Cincotta, who also led the study, explained that their team did expect to uncover such a discovery.
The pterosaur feathers were debated for many decades in the paleontological field, but the specimen collected from the team's newly excavated dinosaur has enough information that traces their genealogy to the modern birds, the expert said.
The findings ultimately conclude the argument of various theories about what covers the bodies of these flying beasts, Cincotta continued.
Among the topics of debate relating to the pterosaur, feathers are the presence of pycnofibers. These structures are filament-like that are believed to cover the outer layer of pterosaurs' skin.
The pycnofibres have feathery, fuzzy textures, but experts can not confirm whether the appendages that make up the pterosaur coverings are the same as those of what we see in birds today.
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Pterosaur Remains Discovered with Feathers and Color-Producing Organelles
The Brazil discovery could clear the speculations about the pterosaur feathers. According to the paper, experts identified whisker-like filaments that have single strands attached to the cranial crest of the dinosaur.
In addition, there were branched feather-like materials made of short fibers that sprout from the central shaft of the flying beast. These fibers were not reported from previous pterosaur studies, but most likely are the key to the missing link between the pterosaurs and the modern birds.
The feathers are theorized as a product of avemetatarsalia ancestors that are present in the lineage of both dinosaurs and pterosaurs, but experts do not exclude the possibility that the features evolved in a distinct path from each other.
The Tupandactylus imperator species also likely had colorful feathers, as electron microscopy imaging from the dinosaur revealed stunning microbodies that measured between 0.5 to 1 micrometer. These objects are part of the animal's soft tissue called melanosomes which are organelles that store melanin pigments for producing color through regions of a body.
The study was published in the journal Nature, titled "Pterosaur melanosomes support signalling functions for early feathers."
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