More and more people are joining the theory of feathered dinosaurs. Various scientists and experts support it and have been looking for explanations for the appearance of this characteristic. Although for some it may still be a bit of a weird image, feathered dinosaurs did exist.
In this article we are going to talk a little about the reason for the appearance of feathers in dinosaurs and what they have in common with modern birds. We'll also discuss some of the most popular feathered dinosaurs. If you're interested in this topic, I recommend reading on.
Why are dinosaurs said to have feathers?
Surely more than one will wonder why now everyone says that dinosaurs had feathers. This fact is very surprising, especially for those who are used to watching movies like Jurassic Park (although in the most recent of the saga, the "Jurassic World" movies, we can appreciate some species that have this feature). It is curious that the idea of feathered dinosaurs shocks so much, when the first with this feature was discovered in the mid-XNUMXth century. It is about the Archeopteryx, which we will talk about later.
We often associate feathers with flying. Perhaps this is why it's somewhat confusing to imagine such large, flightless animals covered in feathers. But why not? Ostriches and penguins, for example, also can't fly, yet they possess this avian characteristic. Furthermore, it's worth noting that there were dinosaurs that were capable of flying, such as Microraptor and the Archaeopteryx mentioned above. It's also worth remembering that the modern birds that share the planet with us are actually dinosaurs.
Feathered Dinosaurs and Modern Birds
Yes, there were plenty of flightless feathered dinosaurs, but the appearance of this feature is due to evolution. Depending on the environment in which the living beings live, some characteristics may be more or less suitable. Depending on this, species change or create new organs. It is the basis of evolution that develops through natural selection.
At this point it is important to note that today's birds can fly thanks to the fact that their ancestors, the dinosaurs, developed feathers, but they did not so that birds could fly today. Evolution does not follow a strategy, but it arises randomly according to convenience and following the laws of natural selection. Therefore, the appearance of feathers took place long before the flight of birds. It is speculated that they initially had a thermoregulatory function. That is to say: They helped the animals to maintain their body temperature. From there, scientists believe that its function could have evolved to acquire more uses, such as sexual attraction, camouflage and also flight.
Examples of Feathered Dinosaurs
Now that we understand how feathers work a little better, let's talk about some of the most famous feathered dinosaurs, and surely more than one myth about them will fall.
Archaeopteryx
As we have already mentioned, Archeopteryx was the first feathered dinosaur to be discovered. As a result of this finding, all kinds of theories began to emerge about the physical appearance of these extinct animals. This prehistoric bird lived about 150 million years ago, during the Upper Jurassic, in southern Germany. It was about the size of a crow, although in appearance it was more like deinonychosaurs, because they had sharp teeth, a long tail, three clawed fingers and murderous claws that would be hyperextensible second fingers, among other characteristics.
Precisely because of these features, Archeopteryx is the keystone species in the transition between dinosaurs and birds. Therefore, this feathered dinosaur is of the utmost importance for the study of both dinosaurs and the origin of birds. A total of eleven fossils of this species have been found, and most of them bear feather impressions. There you can see that they had a fairly advanced shape, from which it can be deduced that the origin of the feathers is prior to the Upper Jurassic.
It should be noted that The first Archeopteryx was found approximately two years after the publication of "The Origin of Species", Charles Darwin's book that explains the theory of evolution. This feathered dinosaur confirmed it and became a key piece in the study of the transitions and origin of birds.
Velociraptor
There is no doubt that one of the most famous dinosaurs today is the Velociraptor, all thanks to the Jurassic Park saga. However, the movies have not been very faithful when it comes to portraying this extinct animal. In fact, have been based on the physical traits of Deinonychus, which we will talk about as well. However, the name "Velociraptor" is much more dramatic and easy to remember.
But then what was Velociraptor really like? For starters, he was much smaller than in the movies, with a height of about 70 centimeters. Also, since it's on this list, it was covered in feathers. Velociraptor was a bipedal carnivore that lived in the Late Cretaceous, between 80 and 70 million years ago, on the Asian continent. Its name comes from Latin and means "swift thief." What is certain is that it appears to have hunted in packs and employed various strategies to do so, indicating that it possessed remarkable intelligence.
Deinonychus
Let's continue now with the Deinonychus, the predator that does appear in the Jurassic Park movies, but with the name of Velociraptor. It is a theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 110 million years ago during the Lower Cretaceous in present-day North America. Its name comes from the Greek and means "terrible claws". This carnivore was considerably stronger and bigger than Velociraptor, his Asian relative. Like this one, the Deinonychus had a layer of feathers to maintain its body temperature.
Among the most notable characteristics of this dinosaur are its retractable foot claws, which measured about twelve centimeters and had the shape of a sickle; its three fingers with large, sharp claws; his binocular vision to better calculate the distance between the individual in question and his prey; and its elongated legs with which it could run at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour. We must also highlight its intelligence, apparently greater than that of other dinosaurs of the time. The Deinonychus, like its Asian relative, used to hunt in packs and, together and by applying certain strategies, they could knock down herbivores much larger than themselves.
Therizinosaurus
Another of the most famous feathered dinosaurs is the Therizinosaurus, a very peculiar animal that is famous precisely for this. Its name comes from the Greek and means "lizard with a scythe." It is a theropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous, around 70 million years ago, on the current Asian continent.
We really have little information about Therizinosaurus, but studies of close relatives give some clues as to how this huge animal with gigantic claws may have lived. It should be said that was one of the largest theropods, not to say the most, since it could reach a length of up to 12 meters and a height of up to 5,3 meters.
As for the eating habits of this peculiar dinosaur, they are a mystery. Scientists have not been able to clarify this great unknown, since there is no cranial material to carry out a study about their diet. It is speculated that it was herbivorous and that It used its gigantic claws to reach branches and tear off plants and other plant material. In addition, experts do not rule out that he could also have used them to hunt small mammals and lizards.
It must be said that it is extremely difficult to find herbivores among theropod dinosaurs. Therefore, it is not surprising that there are other theories related to the function of the Therizinosaurus's enormous claws. Among them is the defense against other predators and also intraspecific fighting, that is, against individuals of the same species, either to mate or to protect their territory.
yutyrannus
Finally we have to highlight the Yutyrannus. In fact, It is the largest of all those who have this characteristic, reaching a length of up to 9 meters and a weight of approximately 1414 kilos. Its name means "feathered tyrant" and it lived during the Cretaceous period in present-day Asia, around 125 million years ago. Yutyrannus was a bipedal predator that possibly hunted in groups. This theory is due to the fact that three individuals of this species were found together.
These are some examples of feathered dinosaurs, but there are more. As science and technology advance, we are increasingly able to reconstruct and imagine what life might have been like before we existed. It is very curious how the birds that we know today could have arisen from some somewhat monstrous-looking animals, right?