This new specimen—one of only three feathered Ornithomimus specimens in the world—is shedding light on the animal’s evolutionary adaptation to different environments. “We are getting the newest information on what these animals may have looked like, how they maintained body temperatures, and the stages of feather evolution.” van der Reest notes that the findings may be used to further understand why animals have adapted the way they have and to predict how animals will have to adapt in the future in order to survive environmental changes.
“This specimen also tightens the linkages between dinosaurs and birds, in particular with respect to theropods,” says Alex Wolfe, second author on the paper. “There are so many components of the morphology of this fossil as well as the chemistry of the feathers that are essentially indistinguishable from modern birds.”
The discovery may also alter future excavation techniques, explains van der Reest. “If we can better understand the processes behind the preservation of the feathers in this specimen, we can better predict whether other fossilized animals in the ground will have soft tissues, feathers, or skin impressions preserved.”
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