Montana fossilized feather found in dinosaur dung aids extinction research

Paleontologists have discovered a remarkably well-preserved 66-million-year-old bird feather encased within a coprolite, or fossilized feces, found in Montana’s Hell Creek Formation. The specimen, which includes tiny fish scales and bone fragments, was identified using micro-CT scanning to preserve its three-dimensional structure.

The discovery, published in the journal Current Biology, provides new insights into the mass extinction event caused by an asteroid strike at the end of the Cretaceous period. Researchers believe the feathers belonged to a small, flightless diving bird from the extinct Hesperornithiformes group, which was likely consumed by a predatory dinosaur before the impact.

While the specific species found in the coprolite likely did not survive the extinction, the find helps scientists understand the evolutionary divide between the lineages that perished and the Neornithes group, from which all modern birds descend.