Tech & Sci
10:42, 26-Jun-2017
Shanghai museum to display 99-million-year-old baby bird in amber
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A special piece of amber containing a baby bird which was born some 99 million years ago will go on display at the Shanghai Museum of Natural History in July.
The specimen has skeletal material from the head, neck, feet, and wings of the fledgling, surrounded by preserved skin and feathers on much of the right side of its body. The animal was preserved partway through its first feather molt, indicating that it was entombed in amber within the first days or weeks of its life.
The stunning find provides details of the anatomy and development in a group of ancient, toothed birds. This group of extinct birds was most abundant and diverse in the Mesozoic era, with this particular bird the first comparatively complete specimen to be found encased in amber.
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