Pterosaurs had feathers that could change colour say experts

For decades, dinosaur experts thought the ancient creatures were covered in reptilian-like scales, that is until recent discoveries revealed many of the extinct animals had feathers - just like birds.

Now palaeontologists have discovered that their flying cousins, the pterosaurs - who dominated the skies above the dinosaurs - had feathers too!

A fossil of a head crest from a pterosaur called Tupandactylus Imperator was found preserved in slabs of limestone in Brazil, and showed that the creatures had feathers when they were alive about 115 million years ago.

Not only that, but the researchers believe the feathers were brightly coloured.

Despite fossils being made out of rock, the experts were able to study the preserved remains of the animal and found biological material called melanosomes which contain melanin pigments - melanin pigments are responsible for different colours in animals' bodies.

"What is remarkable about this specimen - and very obvious when you look at it - is the fact that it preserves extensive soft tissues," said Professor Maria McNamara, from University College Cork in Ireland (UCC).

What's more impressive is the animal may have been able to change its colour, possibly as a way to visually communicate with other pterosaurs.

Prof McNamara, added: "In birds today, feather colour is strongly linked to melanosome shape.

"Since the pterosaur feather types had different melanosome shapes, these animals must have had the genetic machinery to control the colours of their feathers.

"This feature is essential for colour patterning and shows that colouration was a critical feature of even the very earliest feathers."

Before this discovery, it had been known that pterosaurs had coats consisting of fluffy hair-like feathers, but whether these were true feathers that we recognise in birds had been debated.

Pterosaurs lived side by side with dinosaurs, 230 to 66 million years ago, and the new findings shed light on the early evolutionary history of feathers in animals.

UCC palaeontologist Dr Aude Cincotta said: "We didn't expect to see this at all.

"For decades, palaeontologists have argued about whether pterosaurs had feathers.

"The feathers in our specimen close off that debate for good as they are very clearly branched all the way along their length, just like birds today."