Scientists Found The Feathered Dinosaur Tail

A 99 million year old dinosaur tail has been discovered by the scientists which is conserved in amber (bones, tissue, feathers and all). Researchers say that the tail came from a juvenile coelurosaur which is a sparrow sized dinosaur.The sample of amber has already been polished for jewelry when researchers discovered that it holds a greater treasure I.e. the first dinosaur feathers protected in amber.

The sample of this dinosaur consists of eight vertebrae from the middle or end of a long and thin tail. There have been historic birds which have a set of fused tail vertebrae called a pygostyle but this dinosaur tail has an articulated vertebrae. The dinosaur feathers also contains a poorly defined central shaft which states that the feathers were more likely designed to be ornamental than for flight. This amber sample has been discovered in a mine in the Hukawng Valley in Northern Myanmar, an area which is known for its rich diversity of animal and plant life from the Cretaceous period. Large pieces of amber are broken up and transformed into jewelry after the process of mining but researchers continue to discover more complete specimen which may show how feathers were arranged in a dinosaur body.

By: Swati Kaushal

Content: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a20926328/scientists-discover-feathered-dinosaur-tail-preserved-amber/