A chunk of amber - fossilized resin - spotted by a Chinese scientist in a market in Myitkyina, Myanmar, last year shows the tip of a preserved dinosaur tail section in this image released by the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Canada on December 8, 2016. (Photo/Agencies)
The dinosaur tail sample, named "Eva," contains at least nine caudal vertebrae but it does not belong to a bird, said Xu Xing, a paleontologist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
It is likely that the dinosaur belonged to the maniraptora branch, which include many tiny species, such as the anchiornis, a tiny dinosaur with feathered wings that lived in northern China about 160 million years ago. The anchiornis was only about 34 centimeters long and weighed 110 grams.
The research team used imaging and analysis methods to create a high-definition 3D mock-up of the caudal vertebrae behind the feathers.
While the specimen is in near-perfect condition, there is no chance of the team extracting DNA to make clones, as Eva is nearly 100 million years old, far exceeding the DNA half-life, which is generally put at 521 years.
