The whole world knows, however little it is, the great dominators of the Earth for more than 160 million years, the dinosaurs . The fossilized remains have been key to his research and to get a first look at these fantastic animals. Who has not ever imagined being able to see them with their own eyes like in Jurassic Park ? And it is that, to this day, we continue to be speechless with them.
A study from the University of Bristol has uncovered new details about what dinosaur feathers looked like, and has produced the most accurate representation possible of any dinosaur species to date .
The successors of these creatures are popularly known as birds. Birds are like this, the direct and evolved descendants of a group of carnivorous and feathered dinosaurs that, along with true birds, are known as Paravians , a family to which the cunning and fast Velociraptor also belongs.
Precisely, a paraviro Anviornis dinosaur egg has made possible the novel representation of the figure of these feathered ones. The process has consisted of comparing their fossilized feathers with those of other extinct dinosaurs and birds. Using decomposition techniques, a selection of feathers were separated prior to burial and fossilization , making their structure easier to interpret.
Physiognomy of the Anviornis
During the investigation, a primitive feather shape was discovered . This is short, with long, independent, flexible tines that protrude at low angles to form two blades. Such feathers would have given the Anviornis a fluffy appearance . A detail that contrasts with the body of current flying birds, since their feathers have closed and narrow blades forming a continuous and smooth surface.
With these characteristics, the Anviornis would have more difficulty controlling its temperature or repelling water. This plumage would be less effective , since they lacked the aerodynamic and asymmetrical vanes of modern birds.
Another of the most noticeable differences is that these primitive birds had multiple rows of long feathers on the wing . On the other hand, in the current ones, most of the surface of said member is formed by a single row of feathers.
However, one of the most outstanding peculiarities is that the Anviornis , like other species of Paravians, had four wings and their entire body was made up of long feathers, including the legs and tail .
From the find to the canvas
The last step was to draw the animal in the most faithful and approximate way its past life. The illustrator and scientist, Rebecca Gelernter , has been one of the main ones in charge of capturing the data obtained and reconstructing the image of these feathered ones.
Patterns for coloring Anviornis have been known from studies of fossilized pigments . By examining fossils under fluorescence, it has been possible to construct the outline of the animal’s flesh. And previous research work has described the succession of the multiple levels of feathers on the wings.
The new piece thus represents a radical and historical change in the representations of dinosaurs .
