The Liaoning Forest
Welcome to the early cretaceious period. It's 130 million years ago in eastern Asia, and you are standing on the marshy shore of a giant lake. Fish swim by and animals from tiny mammals to large dinosaurs make their way through the forest. Among the most intriguing animals from this region are the creatures that are covered in feathers—but aren't birds.
How do we know so much about this ancient environment? How do we know that these trees, turtles, insects and dinosaurs lived together in this forest? And how do we know that the dinosaurs you see here really had feathers? Countless fossils preserved on the bottom of the lake provide firsthand proof. These fossils provide a window into Liaoning's fascinating past.
Sinornithosaurus millennii fossil
AMNH/Mick Ellison
Examine the Evidence
When the fossil displayed at left was discovered in Liaoning, it joined a growing list of dinosaur fossils showing evidence of feathers. But this fossil is unique because the imprints of feathers are astonishingly clear. Look for this birdlike dinosaur, called Sinornithosaurus (sign-or-NITH-uh-sore-us), in the diorama.
Sinornithosaurus apparently had three types of feathers.
- simple hairlike filaments
- downy tufts
- modern feathers
Sinornithosaurus
Craig Chesek/AMNH
Look for this birdlike dinosaur, called Sinornithosaurus ("sign-or-NITH-uh-sore-us") in the diorama.
FIELD GUIDE
Species:
Sinosauropteryx prima
"sigh-no-sore-AHP-ter-ix PREE-ma"
Birdlike dinosaur with short, featherlike fibers on body
The fossil remains of Sinosauropteryx provided the first evidence that animals other than birds had a featherlike covering. But this dinosaur was not covered in feathers as we know them today.
Instead Sinosauropteryx had a coating of thin, hollow filaments on its body. These primitive feathers may have served to keep the animal warm, much as hair does on mammals.
FIELD GUIDE
Species:
Confuciusornis sanctus
"con-FEW-shis-or-nis SANK-tus"
Flying bird; one sex had long tail feathers, which may have been used in mating displays
Birds like Confuciusornis evolved from an early feathered dinosaur. This diorama shows birds and other feathered dinosaurs living at the same time. How can this be?
