Early Cretaceous, ~125 million years agoReputable sourceWell documented
Feathered Dinosaurs Revealed
On the timeline · around Early Cretaceous, ~125 million years ago · The Cretaceous
What happened
Exceptionally preserved Cretaceous fossils show that many dinosaurs — especially small meat-eaters — were covered in feathers. The finds confirmed that feathers first evolved in dinosaurs long before any animal could fly.
Why it matters
They cemented the link between dinosaurs and birds and overturned the old picture of dinosaurs as purely scaly reptiles.
Sources
- Natural History Museum. How dinosaurs evolved into birds · Reputable source