Ornithomimus had feathers and "display" winglike forelimbs

[Ben Creisler <bcreisler@gmail.com>]

From: Ben Creisler
bcreisler@gmail.com

New in Science:

Darla K. Zelenitsky, François Therrien, Gregory M. Erickson,
Christopher L. DeBuhr, Yoshitsugu Kobayashi, David A. Eberth, and
Frank Hadfield (2012)
Feathered Non-Avian Dinosaurs from North America Provide Insight into
Wing Origins.
Science 338(6106): 510-514
DOI: 10.1126/science.1225376
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/338/6106/510.abstract


Previously described feathered dinosaurs reveal a fascinating record
of feather evolution, although substantial phylogenetic gaps remain.
Here we report the occurrence of feathers in ornithomimosaurs, a clade
of non-maniraptoran theropods for which fossilized feathers were
previously unknown. The Ornithomimus specimens, recovered from Upper
Cretaceous deposits of Alberta, Canada, provide new insights into
dinosaur plumage and the origin of the avian wing. Individuals from
different growth stages reveal the presence of a filamentous feather
covering throughout life and winglike structures on the forelimbs of
adults. The appearance of winglike structures in older animals
indicates that they may have evolved in association with reproductive
behaviors. These specimens show that primordial wings originated
earlier than previously thought, among non-maniraptoran theropods.