A fossilized fragment of the skin of Psittacosaurus, a partially feathered dinosaur, has brought scientists a new discovery: these creatures had skin covered with both feathers and scales. Such “zoning” of the skin cover changed the ideas about the evolutionary transition from scaly to pinnate skin.
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The fossil was found back in 1922, but only modern technology has made it possible to properly see the structure of the creature’s skin. The dinosaur lived 135-120 million years ago, when the transition from lizards to birds took place. Previously, experts believed that Psittacosaurus had plumage only on the tail, but it turned out that the skin cover on the entire body varied. It was soft on plumed areas and scaly on bald areas. Thus, reptilian skin was more functional in the early stages of plumage evolution.
