Feathered Dinos Found in Canada

This is an artistic reconstruction  
 of feathered ornithomimid dinosaurs
 which found in Alberta. (Picture from:
 http://www.livescience.com/)

The wings of birds apparently was not originally developed as an organ for flying. A recent study of fossils found in Alberta, Canada showed that the feathers and wings of birds was first developed only as a decoration, not for flying.

The current bird wings and feathers inherited from Ornithomimus edmontonicus, their dinosaur ancestors. The species is considered to be the first animal to develop feathers and wings in millions of years ago.

"Feathers and wing-like structures were originally developed to attract mates, not to fly or maintain body temperature," said Darla Zelenitsky, lead of paleontologist researcher from the University of Calgary, on Friday, October 26, 2012.

The team examined three fossil O.edmontonicus (one of the young people and two adult individuals) are found in the rock formation 75 million years old.

A fossil ornithomimid the preserves  
evidence of feathers. (Picture from:
 http://www.livescience.com/)

Marks on the fossil remains of animals showed that all three bodies covered with fine hairs. However, especially in adult individuals, fossils also covered with feathers stiff and longer, which grew out of the arm. Wing-like structure. This bird-like dinosaur feathers do not develop until adulthood.

"The structure is similar newly developed wings and feathers for flying and maintaining the body temperature at the next stage of evolution," said Zelenitsky, as quoted by the Telegraph. The findings are published in the journal Science.

Zelenitsky said arm-like wings at O.edmontonicus very different from modern birds. This new dinosaur arm stiff and covered with long hair at the age of adulthood. While the wings of modern birds evolved from an early age, soon after hatching from eggs.

"The pattern of development of wing-like arms is related to reproductive behavior, such as protecting the eggs and chicks," said Francois Therrien, a researcher from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology added.

A dinosaur feather tuft in fossil form. (Picture from: http://www.livescience.com/)

Therrien said fossil O. edmontonicus marks the first discovery of a preserved specimen ornithomimid complete with feathers. These findings suggest that all the dinosaurs of the same family also always covered with feathers.

Feathered dinosaurs is also the first fossils were found in the western hemisphere. So far, most of the feathered dinosaur fossils found at the site is limited in China and Germany. Fossils previously feathers found in rock layers just fine. "The new fossils were found in sandstone, showing more fossils to be found in rocks on ancient rivers around the world," said Therrien. *** [TELEGRAPH | LIVESCIENCE | MAHARDIKA SATRIA HADI | KORAN TEMPO 4039]

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