Science Daily: Sex of Early Birds Suggests Dinosaur Reproductive Style: New Way to Identify GENDER of Ancient Avian Species
Anusuya Chinsamy, Luis M. Chiappe, Jesús Marugán-Lobón, Gao Chunling, Zhang Fengjiao. GENDER identification of the Mesozoic bird Confuciusornis sanctus. Nature Communications, 2013; 4: 1381 DOI:10.1038/ncomms2377
“…Chiappe and the team studied hundreds of Confuciusornis fossils unearthed from rocks deposited at the bottom of ancient lakes in what is today northeastern China and found undisputed evidence of the GENDER difference: medullary bone…”
“…According to Chinsamy, the bone histologist on the team, “Just like modern hens, female Confuciusornis birds that lived 125 million years ago deposited this special bone inside their long bones, and then used it to make the calcium-rich eggshells.” Finding such tissue — present during a short period of time in reproductively active females — in a specimen that lacked long feathers proved that those birds without ornamental plumage are females. “This now permits us to assess GENDER differences in growth and development of this Mesozoic bird,” she said….”
[PIC: Reconstruction of Confuciusornis sanctus.]
