Part of the tail of an almost 100 million-year-old dinosaur has been found encased in a piece of amber. The unprecedented discovery gives us clues as to how the extinct creature would look. Chinese paleontologist Xing Lida showcased the fossil at the Shanghai Natural History Museum. It weighs 6.5 grams and is the size of a pebble.
A 3D mock-up of the vertebrae behind the feathers is also on display. The amber formed in the Mid-Cretaceous period, around 99 million years ago. Experts say the tail section belonged to a Coelurosaurian, a birdlike dinosaur roughly the size of a chicken. The specimen was named "Eva." It contains eight vertebra, each of which was attached to primitive plumage.
Paleontologists hope to find similar specimens in the same region, to prove the rich biodiversity of life they believe thrived in Asia millions of years ago. Xing Lida said he found this amber in Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar in June 2015.
A paper on the findings, co-authored by Xing, Canadian scientist Ryan C. McKellar and others, has been published in the journal "Current Biology." This is the first time dinosaur material has been found fossilized in amber.
