Scientists Confirm A Controversial Physical Feature Of This Prehistoric Creature

Through careful examination and all kinds of testing, the team of scientists was able to reach some interesting conclusions based on the fossil. They published their findings in a study in Nature, including close-up photos of the branched feather in question, preserved in a limestone slab. “To me, these fossils seal the deal — pterosaurs really had feathers,” Professor Steve Brussate of the University of Edinburgh — who performed a peer review of the study — told NBC News. The fossil is estimated to be around 113 million years old, which in itself is rather mind-boggling. According to the study, the fossil suggests that feathers may have first emerged as early as around 250 million years ago in animals similar to pterosaurs, given that birds, dinosaurs, and pterosaurs all share similar ancestors. This would indicate the emergence of feathers to have come 100 million years earlier than previously thought.

The researchers used a high-powered electron microscope to examine the feathers and the skin of the pterosaur. This led them to discover melanosomes. A melanosome is an intracellular organelle found in animal cells and is responsible for storing melanin, which in turn affects things such as the color of feathers in birds. Finding melanosomes in the pterosaur’s feather confirms an early link to birds and suggests that the feathers were more colorful than initially thought.