--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: These are feathers. Not the quill-pen…" description: "\"“These are feathers. Not the quill-pen feathers that make up the wings of today’s birds but simpler ones that look more like strands of hair. These wer..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/steve-brusatte-63295_cretaceous_these-are-feathers-not-the-quill-pen-fea_3120517.jpg" --- # These are feathers. Not the quill-pen feathers that make… ![“These are feathers. Not the quill-pen feathers that make up the wings of today’s birds but simpler ones that look more like strands of hair. These were the ancestral structures that bird feathers evolved from, and it is now known that many (and perhaps all) dinosaurs had them. Yutyrannus and…” quote by Steve Brusatte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/steve-brusatte-63295_cretaceous_these-are-feathers-not-the-quill-pen-fea_3120517.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/steve-brusatte-63295_cretaceous_these-are-feathers-not-the-quill-pen-fea_3120517.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/steve-brusatte-63295_cretaceous_these-are-feathers-not-the-quill-pen-fea_3120517.jpg) > ““These are feathers. Not the quill-pen feathers that make up the wings of today’s birds but simpler ones that look more like strands of hair. These were the ancestral structures that bird feathers evolved from, and it is now known that many (and perhaps all) dinosaurs had them. Yutyrannus and Dilong establish beyond a doubt that tyrannosaurs were among these feathered dinosaurs. Unlike birds, tyrannosaurs certainly were not flying. Instead, they probably used their feathers for display or to keep warm. And because both a large tyrannosaur like Yutyrannus and a small tyrannosaur like Dilong have feathers, this implies that the common ancestor of all tyrannosaurs had feathers, and therefore that the great T. rex itself was most likely feathered, too.”” [Steve Brusatte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-brusatte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feathers originated as simple filaments in dinosaurs, later evolving into bird wings; many theropods, including T. rex, likely had feathers for display or insulation. **In simple terms:** Feathers started as simple hairs. Key Takeaway Recognize evolutionary continuity. Themes evolution feather origins dinosaur biology Mood educational scientific Type informative inspirational When to use this quote - museum exhibits - educational videos - science curricula - public talks Key Concepts paleontology adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How does this change our view of dinosaurs? - What does feather evolution teach about adaptation? A Different Perspective Feather evidence is still debated for some species. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cretaceous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cretaceous/) [Dinosaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinosaur/) [Dinosaurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinosaurs/) [Jurassic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jurassic/) [Paleontology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paleontology/) ## Related quotes > [“Leave yourself alone, trying to fix your subconscious with programs and acts of will is tantamount to trying to start a car with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-armond-powell/leave-yourself-alone-trying-to-fix-your-subconscious-with-programs/) [Gerard Armond Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-armond-powell/) > [On the contrary, there is a considerable body of evidence that these fossil traces, known as 'dino-fuzz', have nothing to do with bird feathers...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-feduccia/on-the-contrary-there-is-a-considerable-body-of-evidence-that-these/) Alan Feduccia > [“soft. Her hand was so soft, like cat fur, like bird feathers, like...everything soft he could think of. Her thumb caressing the corner of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-dee/soft-her-hand-was-so-soft-like-cat-fur-like-bird-feathers-like/) [Bonnie Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-dee/) > [“He has a great smile, a cat's smile. He should cough out yellow Tweety Bird feathers, the way he smiles at me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/he-has-a-great-smile-a-cat-s-smile-he-should-cough-out-yellow-tweety/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [In every man there is a hidden child which is called the urge to create and he prefers as play things and serious things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-morgenstern/in-every-man-there-is-a-hidden-child-which-is-called-the-urge-to/) [Christian Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-morgenstern/) > [Of all created things the source is one, Simple, single as love; remember The cell and seed of life, the sphere That is, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-raine/of-all-created-things-the-source-is-one-simple-single-as-love/) [Kathleen Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-raine/) > [I was very into animals and nature, and really obsessed with cats and monkeys. I used to play in the woods, wander off into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tig-notaro/i-was-very-into-animals-and-nature-and-really-obsessed-with-cats-and/) [Tig Notaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tig-notaro/) ## More by Steve Brusatte > [“there is no denying that by the dawn of the Campanian subinterval of the latest Cretaceous, beginning about 84 million years ago, tyrannosaurs had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-brusatte/there-is-no-denying-that-by-the-dawn-of-the-campanian-subinterval-of/) [Steve Brusatte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-brusatte/) > [“The holes in front of us were fossilized tracks, huge ones. Dinosaur tracks, no doubt. As we looked closer, we could see that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-brusatte/the-holes-in-front-of-us-were-fossilized-tracks-huge-ones-dinosaur/) [Steve Brusatte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-brusatte/) > [“It goes without saying, but T. rex was huge: adults were about forty-two feet (thirteen meters) long and weighed in the ballpark of seven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-brusatte/it-goes-without-saying-but-t-rex-was-huge-adults-were-about-forty-two/) [Steve Brusatte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-brusatte/) > [“During the final 20 million years of the Cretaceous, tyrannosaurs flourished, ruling the river valleys, lakeshores, floodplains, forests, and deserts of North America and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-brusatte/during-the-final-20-million-years-of-the-cretaceous-tyrannosaurs/) [Steve Brusatte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-brusatte/) [Explore all 5 Steve Brusatte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-brusatte/) ## More Cretaceous quotes > [The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction was a horrible event. Dinosaurs and many other animals and plants were killed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/the-cretaceous-paleogene-extinction-was-a-horrible-event-dinosaurs/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“there is no denying that by the dawn of the Campanian subinterval of the latest Cretaceous, beginning about 84 million years ago, tyrannosaurs had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-brusatte/there-is-no-denying-that-by-the-dawn-of-the-campanian-subinterval-of/) [Steve Brusatte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-brusatte/) > [“We have to face the quantitative nature of the challenge,” he told me one day over lunch at the NYU faculty club. “Right now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kolbert/we-have-to-face-the-quantitative-nature-of-the-challenge-he-told-me/) [Elizabeth Kolbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kolbert/) > [“(Montana may never be considered the epicenter of modern life, but about 65 to 70 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-schultz/montana-may-never-be-considered-the-epicenter-of-modern-life-but/) [Patricia Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-schultz/) > [If you were back in the Cretaceous Period - the last of the time of the dinosaurs - and you were driving from New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-lacovara/if-you-were-back-in-the-cretaceous-period-the-last-of-the-time-of-the/) [Kenneth Lacovara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-lacovara/) > [Triceratops is very common: they are the cows of the Cretaceous; they are everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-horner/triceratops-is-very-common-they-are-the-cows-of-the-cretaceous-they/) [Jack Horner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-horner/) > [“It goes without saying, but T. rex was huge: adults were about forty-two feet (thirteen meters) long and weighed in the ballpark of seven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-brusatte/it-goes-without-saying-but-t-rex-was-huge-adults-were-about-forty-two/) [Steve Brusatte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-brusatte/) > [“That Mesozoic mama's boy wouldn't have lasted five seconds in the Cretaceous period.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-korman/that-mesozoic-mama-s-boy-wouldn-t-have-lasted-five-seconds-in-the/) [Gordon Korman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-korman/) > [“During the final 20 million years of the Cretaceous, tyrannosaurs flourished, ruling the river valleys, lakeshores, floodplains, forests, and deserts of North America and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-brusatte/during-the-final-20-million-years-of-the-cretaceous-tyrannosaurs/) [Steve Brusatte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-brusatte/) > [I'll bet you a six-pack of Coors that pretty soon, people will be discovering Cretaceous parasites inside Cretaceous bones. 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