Early bird fossils of the prehistoric Cretaceous shed light on vital mysteries regarding Jehol Biota, a home of extraordinary fossils.
Jehol Biota: a Paleontology Hotspot
According to SciTechDaily, Jehol Biota, which can be found within China, is known to host remarkable fossils that still have soft tissues within them. These tissues could be fur, skin, organs, or feathers. Such fossils grant unique insight regarding evolutionary bird traits, such as flight. However, they need to be cautiously interpreted in order to know more about the looks, behavior, and decomposition of the fossils.
A recent study included in the Frontiers in Earth Science publications looked into five fossils of Sapeornis chaoyangensis to look into how the environment of the fossils' burial affected the preservation of the soft tissue.
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Preservation Secret
While the paleontology hotspot has been seen to host incredible fossils, not every fossil was preserved well. SciTechDaily reports that knowing more about the paleoenvironment is important in order to understand these preservation differences. Without such data, scientists find it hard to measure the preservation of soft tissue. This, in turn, limits the interpretation of evidence.
However, considering the specimen range excavated within Jehol Biota, same-species individuals can be compared with each other to learn more about the taphonomic effects on the fossils. Such effects refer to the impacts of the processes that took place from death until the excavation.
According to News Wise, author Dr. Yan Zhao expresses that remarkably well-preserved soft tissue sets are documented for numerous taxonomies from the paleontology hotspot. The area specifically holds vital clues regarding earlier biological and ecological evolutionary characteristics.
The researchers utilized specimens from the Shandong Tianyu Museum of Natural History. Such specimens were matched to other samples for further analysis. Each one was fully articulated. However, soft tissue preservation was altered. The most notable one was STM 15-36 due to its full and intricate feather coat.
The team looked into the sediments to learn more about the materials that surrounded the fossils and the process of depositing the sediments.
STM 15-36, specifically, was linked to the roughest grains and the most remarkable preservation. The material that surrounded it mostly came from terrestrial plants. STM 15-36 was also deposited in wetter and warmer climates, while its environment was more anoxic. This stopped the feathers from decaying prior to fossilization.
News Wise notes two potential explanations regarding the rapid burial of STM 15-36. These are strong rainstorms that could have washed away and buried them, or volcanic activity. The former seems to be the best explanation because pyroclastic flows do not foster preservation. The bird could have been washed by winds and buried at a lake's bottom, where the environment made sure that the fossil did not get disturbed. Such a combination meant that even after millions of years, the bird would have remained intricately preserved.
Dr. Zhao notes how such findings are valuable when it comes to Jehol taphonomy and the Mesozoic ecosystem. Dr. Zhao further expresses excitement regarding further studies that look into the feathers' microstructure and chemical features. This may help specialists know more about the life and death of these birds.
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