Abstract
Discoveries of integumentary coverings on non-avian theropod dinosaurs are becoming commonplace1,2,3. But the only definitive evidence so far that any of these animals had feathers as we know them today has come from the oviraptorosaur Caudipteryx2,4,5 and the enigmatic coleurosaur Protarchaeopteryx2, both of which are considered by some to be secondarily flightless birds6,7. Here we describe the occurrence of pinnate feathers, which clearly feature a rachis and barbs, on a small, non-avian dromaeosaur from northern China. This finding indicates that feathers of modern aspect evolved in dinosaurs before the emergence of birds and flight.
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Norell, M., Ji, Q., Gao, K. et al. 'Modern' feathers on a non-avian dinosaur. Nature 416, 36–37 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/416036a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/416036a
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