Ancient bird feather discovered in fossilized dinosaur dung : NPR

Key Points:

• In 2016, David DeMar discovered the first fossilized feather from Montana's Hell Creek Formation embedded in a small piece of coprolite, or fossilized dinosaur feces, dating back to the late Cretaceous period about 66 million years ago.
• The feather, described as the best-preserved from the age of dinosaurs, likely belonged to an ancient aquatic bird similar to modern loons or grebes, and was found alongside fish scales and bone fragments inside the coprolite, suggesting a snapshot of a late Cretaceous food web.
• Researchers speculate that differences in feather insulation may have contributed to why some bird species survived the mass extinction caused by the Chicxulub asteroid impact, while others, including this aquatic bird, perished.
• The discovery opens new possibilities for studying soft tissues like feathers and fur preserved in carnivorous dinosaur coprolites, providing valuable insights into ancient ecosystems and extinction events.
• While some scientists caution that the evidence is incomplete to fully explain species survival, the find offers a unique glimpse into prehistoric food chains and highlights the importance of understanding past extinctions amid current biodiversity crises.