Scientists Found The First Dinosaur Tail Presevered In Amber

It has been millions of years since dinosaurs last walked the earth, but scientists recently discovered a piece of that era still with us today. A 99-million-year-old dinosaur tail has been found preserved in amber, according to a report published in Current Biology.

Led by paleontologist Lida Xing of the China University of Geosciences, the breakthrough discovery includes bones, soft tissue and feathers—all of which have been captured within an amber casing. It marks the first time scientists have been able to link preserved feathers to a dinosaur.

The semi-translucent sample, which was described as being no bigger than a dried apricot, marks one of the earliest moments of differentiation between the feathers of birds and those of dinosaurs.

The dinosaur tail itself measures in at just 1.4 inches. It was described as brown in appearance with a white underside, and is covered in delicate feathers. A CT scan and analysis of the same revealed it contained eight full vertebrae and part of a ninth. Because of the structure of the vertebrae, researchers were able to determine the tail was not that of a prehistoric bird.

Scientists working on the project discerned from the sample that the tail likely belonged to a juvenile coelurosaur. The dinosaur the tail was attached to was part of a group of theropod dinosaurs—a categorization that includes everything from tyrannosaurs to modern birds.

The type of feathers found in the sample also rule out the likelihood that dinosaurs were able to fly. Instead, the feathers were likely more ornamental and may have served as a signaling mechanism or temperature regulation.

Researchers uncovered the sample from a mine in the Hukawng Valley in Kachin state, located in northern Myanmar. The region has proven to be rich with preserved parts of animal and plant life from the Cretaceous period.

The tail sample was part of more than a dozen amber-encased preserves recovered by the team, including two samples of dinosaur-era bird wings.

The amber that holds parts of the planet’s past has been targeted in the past for use in jewelry and carvings. The tail sample, which researchers named Eva, had already been shaped by other amber mining before being recovered.