Origin of feathers in the LRT
A recent paper by Cockx, Benton and Keating 2025 conducted,
“a comprehensive comparison of ancestral state estimation methodologies applied to stem-group birds, testing the role of outgroup inclusion, tree time scaling method, model choice and character coding strategy.”
“Our analyses broadly support the independent origin of filamentous integument in dinosaurs and pterosaurs and support a younger evolutionary origin of feathers than has been suggested previously.”
“Most of the models tested support the hypothesis of feathers originating several times throughout their evolutionary history. The ARD ordered models selected based on the AIC, suggest a minimum of three independent points of origin within Pterosauria, Saurischia and Ornithischia.”
Figure 1. Feather origins in the LRT using phylogenetic bracketing. Pterosaurs are not related to dinosaurs in the LRT so are not shown here.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/feather-origins-2.jpg?w=88″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/feather-origins-2.jpg?w=302″ class=”size-full wp-image-94592″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/feather-origins-2.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Feather origins in the LRT using phylogenetic bracketing. Pterosaurs are not related to dinosaurs in the LRT so are not shown here.” width=”584″ height=”1980″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/feather-origins-2.jpg?w=584&h=1980 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/feather-origins-2.jpg?w=44&h=150 44w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/feather-origins-2.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 1. Feather origins in the LRT using phylogenetic bracketing. Pterosaurs are not related to dinosaurs in the LRT so are not shown here.
The LRT agrees with the 2025 paper in the three categories:
1. Bird feathers originated in the LRT with Sinocalliopteryx, a late survivor of an earlier Jurassic or Triassic theropod radiation according to phylogenetic bracketing in the large reptile tree (LRT, 2337 taxa, Fig 1).
Feather loss occurred at least in large tyrannosaurs and probably other large theropods.
Sinocalliopteryx is not mentioned in the authors’ text.
Figure 2. Psittacosaurus with extradermal membranes including uropatagia and straw-like filaments over the anterior caudals.
2. Phytodinosaur straw-like extradermal structures over the anterior tail vertebrae (Fig 2) appeared only twice among tested taxa (Fig 1, green arrows), likely due to taphonomic influences preserving bone more often than soft tissue.
Figure 2. Reconstruction of Jeholopterus. This owl-like bloodslurper was covered with super soft pycnofibers to make it a silent flyer.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/jeholopterus588.jpg?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/jeholopterus588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-33881″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/jeholopterus588.jpg” alt=”Figure 2. Reconstruction of Jeholopterus. This owl-like bloodslurper was covered with super soft pycnofibers to make it a silent flyer.” width=”584″ height=”534″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/jeholopterus588.jpg?w=584&h=534 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/jeholopterus588.jpg?w=150&h=137 150w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/jeholopterus588.jpg?w=300&h=274 300w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/jeholopterus588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 3 Reconstruction of Jeholopterus. This owl-like bloodslurper was covered with super soft pycnofibers to make it a silent flyer.
3. Pterosaur extradermal structures first appear in Middle Triassic Cosesaurus (Fig 4), then in Late Triassic Sharovipteryx and Longisquama, then rather randomly (due to taphonomic influences) among later pterosaurs reaching an acme with Early Cretaceous Jeholopterus (Fig 3).
These taxa are not mentioned in the author’s text, but a Jeholopterus paper was cited.
Figure 7. Cosesaurus forelimb fibers. These indicate the pterosaur wing originated distally, as in bird feathers, not as a bat-like membrane arising from the torso.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cosesaurus_wing_fibers588.gif?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cosesaurus_wing_fibers588.gif?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-35745″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cosesaurus_wing_fibers588.gif” alt=”Figure 7. Cosesaurus forelimb fibers. These indicate the pterosaur wing originated distally, as in bird feathers, not as a bat-like membrane arising from the torso.” width=”584″ height=”547″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cosesaurus_wing_fibers588.gif?w=584&h=547 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cosesaurus_wing_fibers588.gif?w=150&h=141 150w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cosesaurus_wing_fibers588.gif?w=300&h=281 300w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cosesaurus_wing_fibers588.gif 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 4. Cosesaurus forelimb fibers. These indicate the pterosaur wing originated distally, as in bird feathers, not as a bat-like membrane arising from the torso.
The authors concluded,
“Finally, analyses should be conducted with several statistical methods.”
Or do what the LRT does: find the last common ancestor with whatever structure you’re looking to test, then see how this trait is kept, lost or evolved in descendant taxa.
I’ve never seen statistical methods trump phylogenetic analysis.
The question of why
feathers, hair, fibers, scutes, etc. together appeared in the Triassic finds a hypothesis here.
References
Cockx P, Benton MJ and Keating JN 2025. Estimating Ancestral States of Complex Characters: A Case Study on the Evolution of Feathers. Systematic Biology, syaf063, https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syaf063
Triassic origin of scales, scutes, hair, etc. as biting fly barriers?
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2025/09/18/origin-of-feathers-in-the-lrt/
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