how can you tell this prehistoric creature was a bird were there any feathers found?

Question

i have never known in any of my pre-historic magazines and i have over 100 of them, and not one of them actually says anything about feathers being found, which also leads me to wonder how scientists can tell the textures of any pre-historic creatures skin conditions as flesh is rotted away after creatures have died, can someone explain please? thank you

Answer 1

The first fossilised feathers were found on archaeopteryx. Since then, many feathered dinosaurs have been found, particularly in China.

Fossilisation is a process where the animal is first encased in an anaerobic environment - volcanic ash, fine silts and muds etc. The silt or the tuff hardens, preserving the animal inside. The animal or plant slowly rots away and the space it filled is replaced, usually, by silica. If the fossilising medium is very fine, the fine detail of the animal or plant is preserved - feathers, hair, scales, veins in leaves etc. In some animals the fossilisation process is so detailed even the internal structure is preserved in stone.

Fossilisation is a rare and complicated process but as there are so many animals and plans dying in a huge range of circumstances, some of them are inevitably going to be fossilised.

Answer 2

IMprints left in fossils of the animals etc.

Also the bone structure of wings can indicate whther it may have been a feathered wing or not.

A lot of the information is pieced together from lots of different variables

Answer 3

They have recently found a Gigantoraptor which is a theropod dinosaur with unusual avian characteristics. The remains indicate that it had feathers,

Answer 4

Feather imprints have been found, and bird type bones are hollow.

Answer 5

there was the remains of a giant worm in
it`s digestive system

Answer 6

http://www.finishingfirst.com/Dino/Dino2.html

Answer 7

no she just opened her mouth