Cruralispennia multidonta

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Time: Early Cretaceous (~131 million years ago)

Region: Hebei Province, China

Formation: Huajiying Formation, Jehol Biota

Coloration Data

To assess plumage coloration, five samples were gathered from distinct regions of specimen IVPP V21711: the cranial area, both the left and right wings, the tail, and the crural feathers. All sampled areas yielded rod-shaped structures identified as eumelanosomes (associated with black, grey, and dark-brown hues). Distinct differences in melanosome aspect ratios among the regions indicate that the crural feathers possessed a different shade or color compared to the rest of the body. While the authors refrained from providing a precise full-body color reconstruction, they established that the animal exhibited regionally differentiated plumage coloration.

Method: Scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Publications

• Min Wang, Jingmai K. O’Connor, Yanhong Pan & Zhonghe Zhou (2017)
  An article describing Cruralispennia multidonta and examining its coloration.

Documents and files

• Wang_et_al_2017.pdf (PDF)
  Article on Cruralispennia multidonta.

Reconstructions

Fossils