Ancient preen oil: Researchers discover 48-million-year-old lipids in a fossil b

[Sinornis]

Here is another incredible fossil bird discovery, describing one of the most astonishing examples of soft part preservation in animals.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171018091229.htm

The articles summary;
Ancient preen oil: Researchers discover 48-million-year-old lipids in a fossil bird.
As a rule, soft parts do not withstand the ravages of time; hence, the majority of vertebrate fossils consist only of bones. Under these circumstances, a new discovery from the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Messel Pit" near Darmstadt in Germany comes as an even bigger surprise: a 48-million-year old skin gland from a bird, containing lipids of the same age. The oldest lipids ever recorded in a fossil vertebrate were used by the bird to preen its plumage.


Credit: Copyright: Sven Traenkner/ Senckenberg

http://avianmusing.blogspot.com/

[Halichoeres]

The Messel Pit never ceases to amaze.

[CityRaptor]

And to think they wanted to turn it into a landfill...

[ZoPteryx]

So preen glands can preserve!  Now to find these glands on a Mesozoic bird!

[HD-man]

Now to find these glands on a Mesozoic bird!

Or a non-bird dino.