Clarke J.A. auteur aut IRD Ksepka D.T. auteur aut IRD Salas-Gismondi R. auteur aut IRD Altamirano A. J. auteur aut IRD Shawkey M.D. auteur aut IRD D'Alba L. auteur aut IRD Vinther J. auteur aut IRD De Vries T.J. auteur aut IRD Baby Patrice auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Penguin feathers are highly modified in form and function, but there have been no fossils to inform their evolution. A giant penguin with feathers was recovered from the late Eocene (similar to 36 million years ago) of Peru. The fossil reveals that key feathering features, including undifferentiated primary wing feathers and broad body contour feather shafts, evolved early in the penguin lineage. Analyses of fossilized color-imparting melanosomes reveal that their dimensions were similar to those of non-penguin avian taxa and that the feathering may have been predominantly gray and reddish-brown. In contrast, the dark black-brown color of extant penguin feathers is generated by large, ellipsoidal melanosomes previously unknown for birds. The nanostructure of penguin feathers was thus modified after earlier macrostructural modifications of feather shape linked to aquatic flight. specialized 064 080 330 6006 954-957 2010 0036-8075 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010052964 10.1126/science.1193604 0036-8075 [F B010052964] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010052964 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2010/12/010052964.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2011-01-10 2017-08-23 fdi:010052964 fre