Soft-tissue and dermal arrangement in the wing of an Early Cretaceous bird: Implications for the evolution of avian flight
Guillermo Navalón, Jesús Marugán-Lobón, Luis M. Chiappe, José Luis Sanz & Ángela D. Buscalioni
Scientific Reports 5, Article number: 14864 (2015)
doi:10.1038/srep14864
Received: 13 April 2015 Accepted: 09 September 2015
Published online: 06 October 2015
Abstract
Despite a wealth of fossils of Mesozoic birds revealing evidence of plumage and other soft-tissue structures, the epidermal and dermal anatomy of their wing’s patagia remain largely unknown. We describe a distal forelimb of an enantiornithine bird from the Lower Cretaceous limestones of Las Hoyas, Spain, which reveals the overall morphology of the integument of the wing and other connective structures associated with the insertion of flight feathers. The integumentary anatomy, and myological and arthrological organization of the new fossil is remarkably similar to that of modern birds, in which a system of small muscles, tendons and ligaments attaches to the follicles of the remigial feathers and maintains the functional integrity of the wing during flight. The new fossil documents the oldest known occurrence of connective tissues in association with the flight feathers of birds. Furthermore, the presence of an essentially modern connective arrangement in the wing of enantiornithines supports the interpretation of these primitive birds as competent fliers.
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NOTA DESTE BLOGGER:
Tecido mole preservado em fóssil de mais ou menos 100 milhões de anos atrás???
Pano rápido, pois o Abstract diz que existe uma grande quantidade desses fósseis...
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NOTA DESTE BLOGGER:
Tecido mole preservado em fóssil de mais ou menos 100 milhões de anos atrás???
Pano rápido, pois o Abstract diz que existe uma grande quantidade desses fósseis...
