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Tyrannosaurus Rex Relative Had Feathers

Posted by michael on from the uuuuuuuuuuuuuugly dept.

smooth wombat writes "The earliest known relative of the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex had primitive feathers, probably to help it keep warm. The primitive feathers were found on the remains of a dinosaur called Dilong paradoxus, which was about 1.5 meters (yards) long. It is the first member of the T. rex family with the characteristic. The fossil was found in western China in an area rich in fossil remains."

1 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I didn't know.... by IvoryRing · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Lets see, given all of 1 (one) sample of a species, I think that they are close enough (see size distribution within the following species: crocodiles, sharks, armadillos and turtles). What I'd like to know is this: Who (that has any interest in the story at all) doesn't know that they are roughly close enough for this purpose AND would find that bit of info useful for any purpse (such as making a museum quality display case, sight unseen, with no other measurements)?