First 'technicolor' dinosaur fossil has four wings but it could not fly

Key Points:

• New research on the feathered dinosaur Anchiornis huxleyi reveals that some dinosaurs may have developed flight capabilities and later lost them, challenging the traditional linear view of flight evolution from dinosaurs to birds.
• The study, led by Dr. Yosef Kiat at Tel Aviv University, analyzed nine rare fossils from eastern China that preserved original feather colors and molting patterns, providing unique insights into the dinosaur's life and flight ability.
• Molting patterns in Anchiornis huxleyi's feathers were found to be irregular and unorganized, indicating that this dinosaur likely did not rely on flight, similar to modern flightless birds like ostriches and penguins.
• These findings suggest that feather evolution and flight development were more complex and variable than previously thought, with some feathered dinosaurs losing the ability to fly as environmental conditions changed.
• The study, published in Communications Biology, highlights the importance of feather molting as a functional trait in understanding the evolutionary history of flight in dinosaurs and birds.