Dinosaurs had feathered, chestnut brown tails with a pale underside, a newly found specimen reveals.新近找到的标本指出，恐龙有覆着羽毛的栗褐色尾巴，且其尾巴底面是浅色的。The tip of the tail was found in an ancient blob of amber tree resin.恐龙尾巴的末端是在一块年代久远的琥珀树脂中找到的。

The amber was discovered by Dr Lida Xing from the China University of Geosciences at an amber market in Myanmar in 2015.2015年，中国地质大学的邢立达博士在缅甸的一个琥珀市场上找到了这块琥珀。It was initially thought to be plant remains and was destined to become a piece of jewellery until Xing rescued it.最初，这块琥珀被当作一块植物化石，直到邢教授“救出”了它，才挣脱被制作成一件珠宝的命运。The tail belonged to a small, flightless dinosaur that lived in the mid-Cretaceous period around 99 million years ago.这条尾巴归属于9900万年前生活在白垩纪中期的一只会飞来的小恐龙。And the rare find sheds light on the evolution of feathers from dinosaurs to modern birds, which cannot be gleaned from normal fossil remains.这个少见的找到说明了，从恐龙到现代鸟类，羽毛在其身上的进化，而从普通化石中则无法得出结论这样的结论。

The incredible discovery reveals the feathered tail of a non-avian theropod that perished approximately 99 million years ago.这项难以置信的找到展出了一只非鸟类的兽脚亚目恐龙覆着羽毛的尾巴，而这只恐龙在9900万年前就覆灭了。Dr Ryan McKellar, Curator of Invertebrate Palaeontology at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Canada, said: The new material preserves a tail consisting of eight vertebrae from a juvenile. These are surrounded by feathers.’加拿大萨斯喀彻温省皇家博物馆馆长、无脊椎动物古生物学博士赖安·麦凯勒回应，“留存尾巴的新材料中有一只幼年恐龙的8节椎骨。

且这些椎骨被羽毛所围困。”We can be sure of the source because the vertebrae are not fused into a rod or pygostyle as in modern birds and their closest relatives.’“我们可以坚信这种信息来源，因为这些椎骨没像现代鸟类及其亲缘动物那样融合成一根或一节尾综骨。”Instead, the tail is long and flexible, with keels of feathers running down each side.“而且，这条尾巴又宽又柔软，且顺着尾巴的每一面，羽毛的骨架渐渐增加。”Dr McKellar added that the feathers are definitely those of a dinosaur and not a prehistoric bird.麦凯勒博士补足道，这些羽毛一定源于一只恐龙而不是一只史前鸟类。

Amber pieces preserve tiny snapshots of ancient ecosystems, but they record microscopic details, three-dimensional arrangements, and tissues that are difficult to study in other settings, Dr McKellar said.麦凯勒博士认为，“这块琥珀留存了古代生态系统的简况，但它们也记录了其微小细节和立体结构，以及很难在其他背景下研究到的动物的组织。”This is a new source of information that is worth researching with intensity and protecting as a fossil resource.“这是一种新的信息来源，有一点展开大量的研究，也不应将其作为一种化石资源维护一起。”He hopes future finds from the region will reshape our understanding of plumage and soft tissues in dinosaurs and other vertebrates.他期望，未来在这个领域里的找到“将转变我们对鸟类羽毛以及恐龙和其他脊椎动物软组织的解读。

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