Dinosaurs & Prehistory - Dinosaurs - Yutyrannus - Dinosaur anatomy - Cretaceous
Which unusual feature of Yutyrannus is directly documented by fossils?
Correct!
Yutyrannus huali was a large carnivorous dinosaur from the Tyrannosauroidea group, which later also included Tyrannosaurus rex. He lived during the Early Cretaceous Period in what is now northeastern China. The extraordinary thing is that direct impressions of long, filament-like feathers have been preserved in the fossils. These structures were found in various parts of the body and some reached a length of around 20 centimeters. Yutyrannus was by no means a small bird-like dinosaur. The largest known specimen was approximately 9 meters long and was estimated to weigh around 1.4 tons. This makes Yutyrannus one of the largest dinosaurs in which feathers have been directly documented as fossils. The name Yutyrannus huali actually means “beautiful feathered tyrant”. The discovery was particularly significant because it showed that even very large tyrannosauroids could have extensive feathering.
Direct impressions of long, filament-like feathers are preserved in Yutyrannus. This makes it one of the largest dinosaurs with extensive fossil evidence of feathering.
