Scientists Find Feathered Dinosaur Tail Preserved in Amber

Paleontologists have discovered a tiny dinosaur’s fluffy tail preserved inside a drop of amber.
 You can find their findings in the journal Current Biology.
Now, the amber market is a rich scientific resource. The team of researchers reported finding a pair of well-preserved bird wings over 100 million years. Also, The team bought more than a dozen pieces of amber, with one silver dollar–sized chunk -Lida Xing.
Carefull study reveals that: Within this drop lay what looked like a tiny, feathery switch not even an inch and a half long. Computed tomography (CT) scans, high-powered microscopy, and chemical analysis confirmed the team’s suspicions: a dinosaur tail.
specifically, a part of the tail of a fluffy young theropod, most likely a coelurosaur.


The articulated tail contained eight vertebrae and delicate, barbed feathers that would have been white or chestnut brown while the little dinosaur was still alive. Unlike the bird wing feathers, these appear to be more ornamental than anything else. The researchers say that if the rest of the coelurosaur’s tail looked like this segment, it was unlikely it would have been flight-worthy at all. Its handsome fluffy feathers would have kept it on the ground.

Ryan McKellar of the Royal Saskatchewan museum reaffirmed the importance of amber to the scientific record.
“Amber pieces preserve tiny snapshots of ancient ecosystems,” he said.
they record microscopic details, three-dimensional arrangements, and labile tissues that are difficult to study in other settings.
 This new source of information is worth researching with intensity and protecting as a fossil resource."