Newly Discovered Close Relative of T. Rex Is Largest Known Feathered Dinosaur
ScienceDaily (Apr. 5, 2012) —
Palaeontologists have known for more than a decade that some small
dinosaurs had bird-like feathers, mainly thanks to beautifully preserved
fossils from northeastern China. Now three specimens of a new
tyrannosauroid from the same region show that at least one much larger
dinosaur had a feathery coat as well.
The name of the new species, Yutyrannus huali,
means "beautiful feathered tyrant" in a combination of Latin and
Mandarin. The three specimens were collected from a single quarry in
Cretaceous beds in Liaoning Province, and are described by Chinese and
Canadian scientists in this week's issue of the journal Nature.
"The feathers of Yutyrannus were simple filaments," explained
Professor Xu Xing of Beijing's Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and
Paleoanthropology, the lead author of the study. "They were more like
the fuzzy down of a modern baby chick than the stiff plumes of an adult
bird."
Artist’s impression of a group of Yutyrannus and two individuals of the smaller Beipiaosaurus. (Credit: Dr. Brian Choo)