The evolution of the feather: Sinosauropteryx, life, death and preservation of an alleged feathered dinosaur

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Among the spectacular dinosaur fossils reported from the Jehol Group of northeastern China is the most celebrated, Sinosauropteryx, which continues to excite interest in questions concerning feather origins—most recently with alleged identifications of melanosomes and colour in its integumental structures, which proved unfounded. The crucial significance of Sinosauropteryx is undoubtedly the focus on its basal theropod status and potentially pivotal position in informing models of the early evolutionary origin of modern feathers. On the basis of new evidence in Sinosauropteryx NIGP 127587 and GMV 2124, it is shown here that the alleged protofeathers were not free filaments but part of a composite tissue. It is shown that the tail terminates in a unique, smoothly edged, spatula-shaped structure. The dinosaurs died in the vicinity of a lake. For the first time, the taphonomy of Sinosauropteryx is investigated on the basis of aboveground decomposition experiments on living animals so as to get a better understanding of conditions preceding the death of the animal, its death, decomposition and finally preservation of soft tissue as manifested in the fossil. The signs point strongly to invertebrate colonization of the carcass of Sinosauropteryx rather than vertebrate predation or scavenging, with moderate decay associated with the purge fluids while major decay was forestalled by burial, at most a few days after death. Lastly, a theory that the opisthotonic posture of fossils such as Sinosauropteryx NIGP 127587 occurred perimortem as a consequence of neural spasms provides the basis for a forensic reconstruction of the stages leading to the dinosaur’s death and the final preserved position of the external, dorsally preserved soft tissue, which proves to be more consistent with a uniform crest than individual, free protofeathers.