There have been some discoveries of unusually well-preserved fossil dinosaur specimens which bear remnants of
tissues and bodily structures. Organic tissue was previously thought to decay too quickly to enter the fossil record, unlike more mineralised bones and teeth, however, research now suggests the potential for the long-term preservation of original soft tissues over geological time,[1] leading to the formulation of various hypotheses regarding the underlying mechanisms involved.[2]
^Cerroni, M. A.; Canale, J. I.; Novas, F. E. (2020). "The skull of Carnotaurus sastrei Bonaparte 1985 revisited: insights from craniofacial bones, palate and lower jaw". Historical Biology. 33 (10): 2444–2485.
doi:
10.1080/08912963.2020.1802445.
S2CID225374445.
^Hendrickx, Christophe; Bell, Phil R. (August 2021). "The scaly skin of the abelisaurid Carnotaurus sastrei (Theropoda: Ceratosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia". Cretaceous Research. 128: 104994.
Bibcode:
2021CrRes.12804994H.
doi:
10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104994.
There have been some discoveries of unusually well-preserved fossil dinosaur specimens which bear remnants of
tissues and bodily structures. Organic tissue was previously thought to decay too quickly to enter the fossil record, unlike more mineralised bones and teeth, however, research now suggests the potential for the long-term preservation of original soft tissues over geological time,[1] leading to the formulation of various hypotheses regarding the underlying mechanisms involved.[2]
^Cerroni, M. A.; Canale, J. I.; Novas, F. E. (2020). "The skull of Carnotaurus sastrei Bonaparte 1985 revisited: insights from craniofacial bones, palate and lower jaw". Historical Biology. 33 (10): 2444–2485.
doi:
10.1080/08912963.2020.1802445.
S2CID225374445.
^Hendrickx, Christophe; Bell, Phil R. (August 2021). "The scaly skin of the abelisaurid Carnotaurus sastrei (Theropoda: Ceratosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia". Cretaceous Research. 128: 104994.
Bibcode:
2021CrRes.12804994H.
doi:
10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104994.