Feathered Dinosaurs?
- The Origin of Birds and Flight -
looks totally different from those that appeared in Jurassic Park
Feathers are one of nature's most amazing
creations. They are soft, yet strong; flexible, yet resilient. They give birds their remarkable diversity, and probably most significantly, the ability to fly.
However, the origin of feathers and birds have always been a mystery. Feathers seemed to have appeared suddenly in the history of life fully developed. Now, it is improtant to note that feathers are extremelly difficult to be fossilized, and therefore, it was thought that this mystery might never be solved. But -
Archaeopteryx
Actually, the idea of birds being descended from a dinosaurian origin is not new at all. The first bird, Archaeopteryx lithographica was discoverd just after Charles Darwin published his origin of species. Indeed, Darwin himself noted that it's skeleton truly resembled a dinosaur's. Yet Archaeopteryx clearly had modern, fully developed feathers, and thus, told nothing about how feathers evolved.
However, the origin of feathers and birds have always been a mystery. Feathers seemed to have appeared suddenly in the history of life fully developed. Now, it is improtant to note that feathers are extremelly difficult to be fossilized, and therefore, it was thought that this mystery might never be solved. But -
New discoveries show that feathers evolved in bipedal, carnivorous dinosaurs before the origin of birds or flight.
Archaeopteryx
Actually, the idea of birds being descended from a dinosaurian origin is not new at all. The first bird, Archaeopteryx lithographica was discoverd just after Charles Darwin published his origin of species. Indeed, Darwin himself noted that it's skeleton truly resembled a dinosaur's. Yet Archaeopteryx clearly had modern, fully developed feathers, and thus, told nothing about how feathers evolved.
Skeletal features of Archaeopteryx
The question remained unanswered until 1999.... Feather reconstruction of Archaeopteryx