ArticleNature communications2017
Cellular preservation of musculoskeletal specializations in the Cretaceous bird Confuciusornis.
Article in Nature communications, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Insights into the early evolution of modern avian physiology from fossilized soft tissues from the Mesozoic.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025Review
- New enantiornithine diversity in the Hell Creek Formation and the functional morphology of the avisaurid tarsometatarsus.PloS one · 2024Article
- Article
- Nuclear preservation in the cartilage of the Jehol dinosaur Caudipteryx.Communications biology · 2021Article
- Confirmation of ovarian follicles in an enantiornithine (Aves) from the Jehol biota using soft tissue analyses.Communications biology · 2020Article
- Applications of chemical imaging techniques in paleontology.National science review · 2019Review
- Article
- Article
- The most complete enantiornithine from North America and a phylogenetic analysis of the Avisauridae.PeerJ · 2018Article
- Cellular preservation of musculoskeletal specializations in the Cretaceous bird Confuciusornis.Nature communications · 2017Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The hindlimb of theropod dinosaurs changed appreciably in the lineage leading to extant birds, becoming more 'crouched' in association with changes to body shape and gait dynamics. This postural evolution included anatomical changes of the foot and ankle, altering the moment arms and control of the muscles that manipulated the tarsometatarsus and digits, but the timing of these changes is unknown. Here, we report cellular-level preservation of tendon- and cartilage-like tissues from the lower hindlimb of Early Cretaceous Confuciusornis. The digital flexor tendons passed through cartilages, cartilaginous cristae and ridges on the plantar side of the distal tibiotarsus and proximal tarsometatarsus, as in extant birds. In particular, fibrocartilaginous and cartilaginous structures on the plantar surface of the ankle joint of Confuciusornis may indicate a more crouched hindlimb posture. Recognition of these specialized soft tissues in Confuciusornis is enabled by our combination of imaging and chemical analyses applied to an exceptionally preserved fossil.
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