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The skull of a “Tupandactylus imperator” brings certainty – and even more.
The decades-long debate finally seems to be over: pterosaurs, called pterosaurs, wore feathers. An international research team led by paleontologist Maria McNamara from University College Cork has now published its results in the specialist magazine “Nature”.
The feathers from the fossilized skull of the pterodactyl Tupandactylus imperator ensure clarity in the contentious discussion. “The feathers of our specimen finally end this debate,” McNamara is quoted as saying in a press release.
Legend:
Artistic reconstruction of the “Tupandactylus imperator” with the types of feathers on the rear underside of the head.
© Nicholls 2022 Copyright Bob Nicholls
Types of feathers in different colors
In addition to two types of feathers, hair-like and fluffy, the researchers even discovered different shapes and sizes of so-called “melanosomes” within the different feathers.
These are accumulations of melanin pigments in animal cells. This means that the pterosaurs already had the genetic tools to control the colors of their feathers. “This property is crucial for color patterning,” says McNamara. And: It can still be found in today’s birds.
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