Feather Quill Knobs in the Dinosaur Velociraptor
Alan H. Turner,1*
Peter J. Makovicky,2
Mark A. Norell1
Some nonavian theropod dinosaurs were at least partially covered
in feathers or filamentous protofeathers. However, a complete
understanding of feather distribution among theropod dinosaurs
is limited because feathers are typically preserved only in
lagerstätten like that of Solnhofen, Germany or Liaoning, China.
Such deposits possess clear taphonomic biases toward small-bodied
animals, limiting our knowledge regarding feather presence in
larger members of feathered clades. We present direct evidence
of feathers in Velociraptor mongoliensis based on the presence
of quill knobs on the posterior forearm. This report of secondaries
in a larger-bodied, derived, and clearly flightless member of
a nonavian theropod clade represented by feathered relatives
is a substantial contribution to our knowledge of the evolution
of feathers.
2 Department of Geology, The Field Museum, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605–2496, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: turner{at}amnh.org
