Pennaceous feather
plumulaceous feather
. Its rudimentary rhachis with long flexible barbs and elongate barbules cannot form vanes.The pennaceous feather is a type of
Description
A pennaceous
barbules
.
The barbules are tiny strands that criss-cross on the flattened sides of the barbs. This forms a miniature velcro-like mesh that holds all the barbs together, stabilizing the vanes.[3]
Pennaceous feathers on the wing, and elsewhere that stresses related to flight or other activities are high, are accordingly attached especially strongly. This strong attachment is accomplished by ligaments under the skin, which in some birds and other
feathered dinosaurs results in raised bumps or marks along the rear forelimb bone (ulna). These bumps, called quill knobs (ulnar papillae), are often used as an indirect indication of strongly-attached forelimb feathers in fossil species, and can also indirectly indicate the number of secondary remiges in a given specimen.[4][5]
rectrices) are specialized types of pennaceous feathers, adapted for high loadings and often strongly asymmetric for improved flight
performance.
See also
References
- ^ "GEOL 204 The Fossil Record: Feathered Dragons: The Origins of Birds and of Avian Flight". www.geol.umd.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-03-17. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
- ^ a b "Feather evolution". people.eku.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-02-25. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
- PMID 17885130.
- S2CID 2057698.
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