Fossil down feather from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil

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Fossil down feather from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil

  • Volume / Part: 37 / 3
  • Publication Date: November 1994
  • Page(s): 489 - 492
  • Authored By: A. W. A. Kellner, John G. Maisey and D. A. Campos

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An Early Cretaceous (Aptian) fossil feather has been discovered in the Araripe Basin, northeast Brazil. Its features, including an overall fluffy aspect, indicate that it is a definitive down feather. This new material provides empirical evidence that birds had already developed an effective thermoregulatory insulation cover, with down feathers, by the Early Cretaceous. Furthermore, in the absence of skeletal remains, the fossil feathers are the only reliable evidence of Mesozoic birds in Brazil.

Palaeontology - Volume 37 Part 3 Pages 489-492



Palaeontology - Volume 37 Part 3 Pages 489-492

Citations

KELLNER, A. W. A., MAISEY, J. G., CAMPOS, D. A. 1994. Fossil down feather from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil. Palaeontology, 37, 3, 489–492.