Baby Bird from Time of Dinosaurs Found Fossilized in Amber
The 99-million-year-old hatchling from the Cretaceous Period is the best preserved of its kind.
Preserved feathers show that the hatchling died during its first feather molt, indicating that it was entombed in amber within the first days or weeks of its life.
Bones, skin and soft tissue are all encased in amber, providing scientists with unique information on an extinct group of ancient birds.
Feathers from the wings of the baby bird show it was capable of flight right after hatching, unlike most modern birds.
Photograph by Ming Bai, Chinese Academy of Sciences
By Kristin Romey
PUBLISHED June 7, 2017
The remains of a baby bird from the time of the dinosaurs have been discovered in a specimen of 99-million-year-old amber, according to scientists writing in the journal Gondwana Research.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/baby-bird-dinosaur-burmese-amber-fossil/
