Fossil of Sick Pterosaur Crest Reveals Clues to Feather Color

A team of palaeontologist scrutinizing the feather on the back of a fossilize flying reptile ’s head have find evidence that these flying fauna had the transmissible substructure for multicolored plumage .

Like the dinosaurs they live aboard , pterosaurs had feathering . Those feather have pigment from cell organelle like melanosomes , which produce and store melanin . But the squad studying the 115 - million - yr - old Tupandactylus imperator — a large - crested flying reptile that lived in what is now northeasterly Brazil — obtain different types of melanosomes , indicating the animal had at least two kinds of feather that were dissimilar colors . The team ’s enquiry ispublishedtoday in Nature .

“ The big implication is that the ability to tune feathering colouring was credibly present in the common ancestor of wench and pterosaurs , ” enunciate Maria McNamara , a paleontologist at University College Cork in Ireland and lead author of the unexampled paper , in a video call with Gizmodo .

An artist’s reconstruction of T. imperator. The preserved feathers are in two tones on the back of the head.

An artist’s reconstruction of T. imperator. The preserved feathers are in two tones on the back of the head.Illustration: © Nicholls 2022 Copyright Bob Nicholls

In its fossilized form , T. imperator is most recognizable for the monumental summit atop its head . The animal is part of a pterosaur group called the tapejarids , which were medium - sized but recognizable for the canvas - regulate soft tissue paper crests that are unco preserved in fossils from Brazil ’s Crato Formation . McNamara said that the fossil the squad inspect also had melanosomes in its crown , though the team did not cater an analysis of those structures ( and thus the color of the crest ) in the newfangled paper .

Instead , they focus on two types of feathers on the back of the creature ’s head . Some of the feathers were short and stringy — sort of like pilus — while others ramify out , like the plume of mod birds .

“ In general , if the same holding defend as in mod bird , we know that the really long , stretch sausage - shaped melanosomes are associated with ignominious and obscure - browned colors . We know that the more football - influence — or a soccer ball - shaped — melanosomes are associated with pep / orange colors , ” McNamara said .

The head crest of Tupandactylus imperator.

The head crest of Tupandactylus imperator.Photo:Cincotta et al., Nature 2022

The squad determined that branch feathers of T. imperator would have been lighter , while its scant , wiry whisker would have been slightly glum . They are n’t trusted purpose the people of colour approach pattern might have served .

The tapejarids have had their fair portion of dramatic event in recent year . Another one of the group , the 100 - million - year - former Tupandactylus navigans , wasnearly smuggled out of Brazil in 2013alongside 3,000 other fossils that were confiscated by the Brazilian constabulary and later spread to two local museums . The T. imperator the late research team canvass was repatriated to Brazil this year ; McNamara said it is now in the aggregation of the Rio de Janeiro Museum .

We ’re just beginning to crack the codification on the coloration of ancient beast ; as more fossils are examine witheven better instruments , we may one 24-hour interval be able to model the soft tissue of flying reptile with precision .

An artist’s reconstruction of T. imperator. The preserved feathers are in two tones on the back of the head.