Juravenator lacked feathers?

Did you hear about the recently discovered fossil in southern Germany? The 150-million-year-old fossil found in the Jura Mountains measures 2.5 feet long, and its bone structure makes it one of the feathered dinosaurs.

Because all of its close relatives are feathered, paleontologists would expect Juravenator to follow suit.

But a small patch of skin on Juravenator's tail shows no sign of feathers. And the skin also doesn't have the follicles that are typical of feathered dinosaurs, said Luis Chiappe, director of the Dinosaur Institute at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

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Photo courtesy of Scientific American