Three-dimensional soft tissue preservation revealed in the skin of a non-avian dinosaur

The most commonly preserved soft tissues associated with ornithischian dinosaurs are skin remains. The apparent resistance of hadrosaur skin to decay, and its abundance in the fossil record relative to that of other tetrapods, has been attributed to factors such as thickness and composition. Here we report additional intrinsic factors within hadrosaur skin: 3D‐preserved eumelanin‐bearing bodies, dermal cells and blood vessel fragments in an organic matrix composed of protein fossilization products. The skin is much thinner than that of living mammals of similar size. It is likely that the preservation of hadrosaur skin is related to the arrangement of the layers composing it.

与鸟臀目恐龙（ornithischian dinosaurs）相关的最常见保存软组织为皮肤遗存。鸭嘴龙类（hadrosaurs）皮肤的抗降解特性，及其在化石记录中相较于其他四足动物（tetrapods）的丰度，此前被归因于厚度与组分等因素。本文报道了鸭嘴龙类皮肤内的额外内在因素：在由蛋白质化石产物构成的有机基质中，存在三维保存的含真黑色素（eumelanin）体、真皮细胞及血管碎片。该皮肤的厚度远小于体型相近的现生哺乳动物。鸭嘴龙类皮肤的保存机制，大概率与其组成层的排列方式相关。