T-Rex relative had feathers

The earliest known relative of the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex had primitive feathers, probably to help it keep warm.

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing found the remains of the early tyrannosauroid which roamed the earth between 139 and 128 million years ago, in western Liaoning, China, an area rich in fossil remains.

"This provides the first direct fossil evidence that tyrannosauroids had protofeathers," Xing Xu, one of the scientists, said in a report in the science journal Nature

I hope this means that Spielberg will be taking revisionist action next on Jurrasic Park, in which the famous roar of the T. rex will be replaced with the clucking of an ordinary hen.
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Posted by JeremyT at October 7, 2004 04:56 PM