By Will Dunham
WAS SHINGTON (Reuters) – About 110 million years ago, on the shores of an ancient lagoon in what is now northeastern Brazil, two-legged chicken-sized Cretaceous period dinosaurs form a live prey of insects and small wings like frogs and lizards.
Inside a skeleton similar to many small dinosaurs from previous Jurassic periods, it was normal, scientists said Tuesday. Outside, it was anything.
This dinosaur, called Ubirajara jubatus, has hair-like structures, while also having two very unique, hard, ribbon-like features made of keratin – the same substance that makes hair and nuggets – protrude from its shoulders.
David Martil, a professor of paleobiology at the University of Portsmouth in England, who is leading the study, published in the Cretaceous Research Journal, said: “There are a lot of strange things.
Ubirajara’s hair-like structures appear to be the earliest forms of feathers known as protophytes. This is not real hair, the only mammal feature. Many dinosaurs had feathers. In fact, birds evolved from small feathered dinosaurs about 150 million years ago.
“Probably from a distance she looked more hairy than Federer,” Martil said. “Probably it had hair-like protophytes over most of its body but it is only preserved around its neck, back and arms. The part on its back is very long and gives it a kind of bean that is unique to dinosaurs.”
Martil added that Ubirajara’s ribbon-like creations could be used for displays, possibly to attract mating or to intimidate enemies or in inter-male competitions. Such performances are often performed by male animals – think of the peacock’s extended tail feathers – leading Martil to make an “educated conjecture” that this Ubirajara person was male.
“The ribbon that comes from the shoulder is nothing like the nature I’ve never seen before,” Martell said.
While it is impossible to know from the fossil record, Martil said Ubirajara could be colored.
“That was what I bet on,” he added.
(Reporting by Will Dunham; Editing by Jonathan Otis)
